Remember how every piece of clothing you bought had a little piece of paper in a pocket that said, "Inspected by No. 5," or whatever? While anonymous and sort of weird -- presumably the result of some strange regulation of the apparel trade -- it gave you at least a tenuous connection to the human beings who actually were making your clothes.
An intriguing article on Inc.'s web site this week raises this idea again and elevates it to a new level: What if employees all signed their work? Is this an idea that actually could work in some form to more actively engage employees in their tasks and, in turn, intrigue and attract consumers?
"Sort of like bylines on articles or employee-signed presentations, the Dodd-Frank mandate that CEOs attest to financial statements, the requirement that politicians 'approve this message' when they buy advertising," wrote Jeffrey Pfeffer in Inc.'s The Company Ethicist feature, "the very act of signing something creates a stronger psychological link between an individual's identity and their work. This connection will make them take the work and its integrity much more seriously."
Pfeffer cited the example of Soichiro Honda, who once said during a presentation that one of the reasons his cars were of higher quality was that when they broke down, people were cursing him and his name.
Of course, having employees physically "sign their work" is impossible in many businesses. But in many others, it's not. And even where a real signature is impractical, maybe it would be an encouragement and incentive to employees if there were some other way for them to personalize their output -- to leave their initials on that idea on the PowerPoint presentation, for instance.
Or put a little business card in the pocket of the next shirt you buy.
We're wondering if any of you are intrigued by this idea as well and have notions about how it actually could take shape. Let us know.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Friday, June 7, 2013
Crave Creativity? Here's How Leaders Can Encourage It
Innovation and its close sibling, creativity, comprise the Holy Grail for companies worldwide that are trying to work their way out of slow and slowing economies and attract wary consumers.
But the only way to guarantee a constant stream of meaningful innovation and an environment that encourages creativity is for leadership to organize and plan for it. So it was interesting to see a piece in the Wall Street Journal the other day which offered ideas on how to do that.
"Creativity," wrote Justin Brady, a graphic-design-agency owner and speaker on the topic, "is not the product of gimmicks." Rather, he said a creative environment "comes from only one thing: leadership."
And in his experience, Brady found that creative environments are "cultivate by leaders" who do three things:
Listen: Actively listen, don't just "hear," Brady advised, "keep[ing] eye contact and strain[ing] to find meaning" in what the speaker is saying. "You discover insights that weren't obvious before."
Empathize: It "takes work" to "put [yourself] in the other person's shoes" but "this shift of focus is dynamic," he said, "and unlocks explosive creativity."
Trust: "Some ideas or concepts won't make sense to anyone but the innovator," Brady wrote, but "trusting is the final step of the creative process."
What do you think of these leadership criteria for "creating creativity"? Any that you would add?
But the only way to guarantee a constant stream of meaningful innovation and an environment that encourages creativity is for leadership to organize and plan for it. So it was interesting to see a piece in the Wall Street Journal the other day which offered ideas on how to do that.
"Creativity," wrote Justin Brady, a graphic-design-agency owner and speaker on the topic, "is not the product of gimmicks." Rather, he said a creative environment "comes from only one thing: leadership."
And in his experience, Brady found that creative environments are "cultivate by leaders" who do three things:
Listen: Actively listen, don't just "hear," Brady advised, "keep[ing] eye contact and strain[ing] to find meaning" in what the speaker is saying. "You discover insights that weren't obvious before."
Empathize: It "takes work" to "put [yourself] in the other person's shoes" but "this shift of focus is dynamic," he said, "and unlocks explosive creativity."
Trust: "Some ideas or concepts won't make sense to anyone but the innovator," Brady wrote, but "trusting is the final step of the creative process."
What do you think of these leadership criteria for "creating creativity"? Any that you would add?
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Join us for a Webinar - "Building the Case for Employee Engagement" on June 13
Inward Strategic Consulting would like to invite you to join Allan Steinmetz, Founder & CEO and Yash Chitre, Vice President in their ASTD-sponsored webinar presentation of Building the Case for Employee Engagement.
Employee engagement is critical
to business success. This webinar explores why it is important for corporations
to align the behavior of their employees with their brand and business
strategies and how engaged employees help businesses to maintain an advantage
over competitors.
Join us as we address the factors
that motivate engagement and the importance of performance-based metrics in
tracking progress. Learn from case studies and develop a roadmap for effective
measurements, metrics, and processes to enhance your organization's commitment
to engagement.
Below are the full details of the
upcoming webinar. Please follow the link for more details and to reserve your
spot today.
Building
the Business Case for Employee Engagement
An
ASTD-Sponsored Webinar Presentation
When:
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Time: 2:00
PM- 3:00 PM EDT
Presenters:
Allan Steinmetz and Yash Chitre of Inward Strategic Consulting
Register
through ASTD: http://webcasts.astd.org/webinar/683
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