If you looked at a list of top corporations five years ago and now, you’ll notice a big change. The companies many of us grew up with (ie Kraft, etc.) are gone from the list and others known as disruptors are on it (ie AirBnb). How come these companies are growing so fast while the ones that were once dominant in their fields are dying? Have you ever wondered if it’s just the product or service, or it’s the leadership and the employees, or a combination of the two? The real answer is the latter, but there is much more to it than that.
The traditional workforce functioned, as we know, in a hierarchical fashion with the leader at the top. The expectation was that if you “did your job” you would be rewarded with a raise and possibly a bonus, and every x number of years you could expect a promotion. In my opinion, what has drastically changed in the way of doing business is what I will call “wonder”.
I wonder if we could do this more effectively. I wonder if I really need to work in an office five days a week. I wonder why we have done it this way for years but have not really achieved the results we want. I wonder why the phrase “we’ve always done it this way” is not only obsolete but boring. I wonder why an element of fun can’t be built into the workday.
These moments of wonder are what are changing the business landscape. The problem is that some leaders and team members have concerns about it. Some of this concern is due to fear and some is due to complacency. However, I think the real problem is that once we grew up we no longer knew how to ask ourselves. As a child we dreamed of all kinds of things. One day we may be slaying dragons with cardboard swords and towels as capes. Other days we may be flying into space. Our imaginations always took us to a new place to explore. So how do companies inspire their employees to wonder?
One way is through brainstorming. Pick a topic and let each team member write her ideas on sticky notes. Each idea has its own sticky note. Encourage extravagance even if, in practical terms, it couldn’t happen. The idea is that one crazy idea can trigger other ideas that eventually lead to one that could be implemented.
Here is an example. She was conducting a training session on team building for managers of a government agency. There were a lot of restrictions on how they could reward their team members. No half days off, no external events, etc. By doing this brainstorming activity, ideas came up that were not only doable but made everyone realize that they were being too narrow-minded, not only about a reward system but also about other things that they felt they needed. they had no control. They came away with several ideas that they could implement right away, but they also felt empowered, which made them feel better about their workplace in general.
The idea of asking yourself “what if” could bring a lot more satisfaction to your workplace, as well as help with retention issues. I just wonder what the possibilities might be.