How to Get People to Share Their Ideas!
In today's incredibly competitive work world, we need to tap into the resources of the people around us. Research indicates that many of the greatest ideas do not come from the "headquarters" of an organization, but rather from the "front lines," as people from the front lines are the closest to the problems, issues and challenges. Many organizations have suffered greatly by not tapping into their employees' resources. Consider this: Half of the companies that appeared in the 1980 Fortune 500 list no longer exist.
People have great ideas, but do they feel they can share these ideas? How many times have you thought to yourself, "If I had only known…?"
The key question to ask is, "How many ideas are you missing?" How often have you seen other people not express their ideas because they rationalize that no one cares or it won't do any good? Therefore it is only logical to consider that others might be doing this with you.
Unfortunately, sometimes we train and condition people not to share their ideas with us. How does this happen? Sadly, very easily…
Many times we say we want honest communication and ideas, but when someone gives them to us, we become upset or defensive. Consequently, the next time we ask for feedback and ideas, that person probably won't give them to us. In essence, we train and condition people not to be forthcoming.
Organizations as a whole also train and condition employees to stop giving ideas by the way they handle employee surveys (even though they may have the best intentions). Quite often, organizations give an employee survey and then they don't do anything with the feedback, or they will take months to respond to the employees. In some cases, if feedback is provided, the findings are reported without even mentioning the specific actions the organization plans to take as a result. In those circumstances, employees learn that sharing ideas and opportunities are a waste of time.
What can we do? The good news is that there are many solutions. Here are 3 simple tips (they may be common sense, but are you really doing them?):
- 1. Ask people for their ideas. This may seem obvious, but often employees complain that no one asks them. So the key is to ask people for ideas constantly and in a variety of settings. Ask people in official meetings, random meetings, and in one-on-one conversations. You can't make people share their ideas, but if you keep asking them eventually they will, and their ideas may lead to new opportunities for the organization.
2. Appreciate all ideas. You don't necessarily need to use the idea, but at least say "thank you." Sometimes ideas that may seem crazy or off base, later turn out to be the "golden" idea that everyone missed. Appreciating people for sharing ideas sends the message "to keep them coming."
3. Whatever ideas you do put to use, give credit to the owner of the idea. This in turn will encourage the free flow of ideas because this lets people know that sharing ideas and opportunities is not a waste of time, but a valuable resource.
These are just a few quick and simple tips that can help produce immediate results. For more advanced strategies, please call our office.
Getting people to share ideas is a never-ending process that we can always improve on. When we create an environment where people want to and do share their ideas, we all can reap the results.
"Steven Gaffney is an professional speaker and author in the area of communication, motivation and leadership. He can be reached at (703) 243-7994 or 1-877-6Honest or e-mail Steven directly at Steven@StevenGaffney.com."
Copyright 2004 by Steven Gaffney and the Steven Gaffney Company.
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