Creating the Future

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." -Albert Einstein

How does it happen? 

When does it start? 

Where does it go wrong?

When do you start using the phrases... 

"This is how we have always done it."  

"That will never work here."

"Things are just fine the way they are"

You encounter these phrases often when you are trying to implement change or move an initiative forward.  If you do not encounter these phrases, you really aren't moving anything.

Many organizations attempt to use the same logic that caused a problem to solve it.  The concept of recycling is alive and well in many organizations as the same ideas continue to be implemented year after year.    

Unleashing creativity will be the key to sustained improvement in tomorrow's organizations.  How do you unleash creativity and stop recycling ideas?  Here are a couple of suggestions.

1. Lead by Example - Take chances, publicize failures, and model the thinking that leads to improvement.

2. Incubate Ideas - Give new, different ideas a safe place to be tested.  Successful ideas can then be scaled up and implemented effectively because people have a visual of what it should look like.

3. Reward Forward Failure - Forward failure can be defined as any effort to make improvement that doesn't work as planned but gets you closer to the end goal.  Provide opportunities, supports, and incentives for people who dare to be different.

Fostering failure and risk-taking will lead to a brighter future in the end. How are you creating the future where you are? B