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I vividly remember a sit-down from my first real job straight out of university. It was with the Regional Manager. named Susan, who was two levels above my immediate supervisor. This happened after raising my points, or rather, ideas, concerning our current processes and procedures for time service standards with the leadership team of the company. So being fresh from university and having a mind-blowing discussion with a leadership team member was a big deal for me. Susan called me days later to thank me for speaking up, although most of my ideas were not practical at the moment, she loved one of my ideas and had started the process of implementing it.
I really wanted to continue with the discussion but she cut it short and ended the conversation with ” Keep them ideas coming, in a bunch of 10 bad ideas hopefully one of them will be good She giggled and hung up. At that moment I was left in a dilemma wondering what she meant. Little did I know that was going to be the start of my series discussion as an innovative leader.
7 years down the line as a corporate employee, I decided to start a side gig with my friend Mercy. After a lot of consideration I figured that I needed a creative outlet for my entrepreneurial spirit, and we finally decided on a fast food cafe that will be offering craft beer and a variety of local foods.
Critics and discouragement from local board members, family, and citizens at large that we would never make it since Chicago was not ready for this kind of business. This was in 2011, 1 year before the Smoke Free Air Law. Besides, we also didn’t have any experience not to mention working in the hospitality industry but we were certain about one thing that our little town was ready for a distinct dining experience. We kept on changing our food and drinks menu, local music and profit margins we created a culture with our daily gaining of experience of” what is the importance of an idea if it remains just an idea?” Unfortunately, we sold our business due to unavoidable life circumstances. I am ever proud of myself every time I visit my hometown to see it’s still running. It has taken me a lot of experience to get to know what ignites my core.
When I relocated, as nature dictates adaptability and camouflage dictate survivability, I met this friend of mine who gave me a challenge: read at least two GROWTH-related books in a month, and that’s when I came across TIM LEMAN’S book TURN CRISIS INTO CLARITY and IGNITE GROWTH. I learnt and gained a lot of experience from this friend Brian, including living with a set of life principles known as BHANG ( Big Hairy Audacious Goals) whereby it requires to constantly be innovative to accomplish these goals. Brian kept on reminding me his favourite quote from Tom Peters: Whoever tries the most stuff wins.
People/ companies and firms that invest time to innovate, financial resources and human capital always deliver increased value to customers, employees and owners.So what importance is it if an idea remains just an idea ? GROW OR DIE.
