"Get Out of Jail, Free" Cards

March 21, 2013
Get_Out_of_Jail_Free_Card

(Photo credit: Mark Strozier)

More and more I am seeing senior executives in large companies inspired and challenged by the task of ‘how to encourage staff’ to make deeper and bolder bets, choices and decisions. Ironically, I am seeing this in companies where top-down command and control would have not allowed us to have had this conversation before. The article in yesterday’s WSJ touches on this point and a good read.

Why and why NOW?

Companies in all sectors have a huge challenge ahead. They need to INNOVATE. The more employees and staff are engaged and involved, and the more risk they take, the higher the chances of success. Yes, that is right in the face of the FEAR of failure from risks. The more isolated staff are from taking risks, the lower the chance of the company to succeed. This directly relates to innovation. To innovate and to allow new possibilities in ANY business, we need to think of new ideas, experiment, take risks, win big or fail fruitfully. Yes, failure is the step before success not the last step.

To do so, folks need to step outside of their comfort zone, break their daily habits and use their creative juices to think through alternatives.

Being a CEO is a lonely game. It is singular. One CEO. Imagine the pressure if all the innovation and new ideas have to come out of one person. Instead what if it came from thousands or tens of thousands of staff in a company?

More and more, I am engaged in inspiring conversations with leadership in companies regarding not only how to help break the risk-averse habit loops, but ALSO how to inspire people to make more bets and take bigger risks. In as such, we need to remove and reduce the fear of failure or any perceived (and often these are obstacles in our mind!) risk.

Get Out of Jail, Free cards are one model and another one which I very much like is Risk REWARDS, which are handed out even if ideas don’t work out, but recognizes the initiative to make bold decisions. Decisions don’t have to be huge one, but can be small ones which are game changing. In almost all companies I am seeing this conversation come up, which is fantastic. The pressure to innovate is growing in all companies and innovation comes from ONE SOURCE: FROM THE TALENT in companies and the talent is YOU!

So, let your management know what Get of Jail, Free cards would inspire you to be bold, take risks and make the impossible be possible. Trust me, your management is listening and waiting!!!

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