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Guest Article
Category: Personal Development
"Many highly
intelligent people are poor thinkers. Many people of average intelligence are skilled thinkers.
The power of a car is separate from the way the car is driven."
Edward de
Bono
Thinking:
It's One of the Most Difficult Tasks We Do
By
Harvey Mackay
Henry Ford once hired an efficiency
expert to go through his plant. Ford directed him to find the nonproductive employees and, he said,
"I will fire them!"
When the expert finished his evaluation,
he reported to Ford that he was particularly concerned with one of his administrators. "Every time
I walked by, he was sitting with his feet propped up on the desk. The man never does a thing. I
definitely think you should consider getting rid of him!"
Ford was curious to know who was using
company time that way. Then the expert identified him, and Ford shook his head. "I can't fire him.
I pay that man to do nothing but think, and that's what he's doing."
Even in this culture of downsizing,
right-sizing, and just plain streamlining operations, no company can afford to lose its thinkers.
Most small to mid-sized companies
probably can't afford to hire a "staff thinker," but among the larger, and likely the most
successful companies, I'll bet you'll find someone with a title like strategic planner, researcher,
creative engineer, visioner, or some similar version. At Disney, they're called "imagineers." (At
Microsoft, they're called "millionaires.")
"What a job!" you're thinking right
about now. No measurable goals, no restrictive job descriptions, no pressure, because nobody can
tell if you're doing your job. But you must prove yourself over time.
Guess again. Some people get lost in
thought because it's such unfamiliar territory. And then look around your office and see if you can
identify the person you'd go to first if you needed a great new plan or idea. There's the thinker.
The job title may not be a tip-off.
Years ago, at the El Cortez Hotel in San
Diego, management decided that one elevator wasn't adequate to serve their guests. They hired
engineers and architects to add a second lift.
The professionals discussed several
options, and eventually settled on a plan to cut a hole in each floor to accommodate the new
elevator.
A janitor overheard the discussion, and
inquired about their intentions. The engineers patiently explained their plans to him. The janitor
was concerned and told them so: "That's going to make quite a mess -- plaster, dust, and debris
everywhere." No problem, he was told, because the hotel would be closed during the construction.
"But that will cost the hotel a lot of
money, and a lot of people will be out of jobs while the hotel is closed," the janitor replied.
"Do you have a better idea?" one of the
architects asked.
The janitor surprised them all with his
answer: "You could build the elevator on the outside of the hotel."
It had never been done before, but it
was an intriguing concept. The engineers and architects, hired for their creative thinking, decided
it was an idea worth developing. An architectural feature we now see every day was the brainchild
of a hotel janitor. Not a "staff thinker." But a thinker on the staff.
Chances are you have several folks like
that in your employ. They are worth their weight, and yours, in gold. Consultants may come and go,
but those employees who can think are your best source of great ideas and inspiration for the rest
of your organization.
Let me lay down a few ground rules for
encouraging great thinking:
Respond with enthusiasm.
When someone has a great thought, be enthusiastic rather than demanding
details on implementation. This person has ideas. Somebody else can develop them. You've seen that
happen a million times.
Make your workplace conducive to
thinking. Windows are inspirational. Cheerful colors
stimulate creativity. My office is full of photos and souvenirs and some of my favorite things.
Sterile surroundings are for brain surgery. We're looking for brain candy.
Celebrate occasionally.
"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" is still true. Let your
staff know they can have fun and be productive at the same time.
Give credit where credit is
due. I surely hope that janitor at the El Cortez got the
recognition he deserved and a big bonus. Reward great thinking. You'll be surprised how creative
every member of your staff can be.
Mackay's
Moral:Minds are like parachutes -- not much good
unless they are open.
[Ed. Note: Harvey Mackay has written
five New York Times bestselling books, two of them named among the top 15 inspirational
business books of all time -- Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive and
Beware the Naked Man Who Offers You His Shirt. His latest book, Use Your Head to Get Your Foot in
the Door: Job Search Secrets No One Else Will Tell You, was released
Feb. 18. Harvey is a nationally syndicated columnist and has been named one of the top five
speakers in the world by Toastmasters International. He is also chairman of the $100 million
MackayMitchell Envelope Company, a firm he started in 1960.
For two free bonus reports featuring
Harvey's most powerful essays on leadership, goal achieving, business success, and much more,
go here.]
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