Culture of creativity
Encourage feedback
Do you have a suggestion box? Have you done a survey lately?
It is important to get new input and ideas to change your perspective and consider creative and innovative approaches to challenging issues. You cannot possibly have all the answers or even know all the issues that need to be addressed, unless you get adequate feedback from employees and customers.
It is not enough to casually visit, observing, listening, and asking questions. The process needs to be both more formal and more open-ended. Solicit input from those most in the know: employees on the job, customers using the product and those suppliers and service providers with high expectations for you. Ask about processes and performance, relationships and communications, product innovation and quality, customer service and sales support, social and environmental initiatives. Give them the option of anonymous response, in case they think you cannot handle the truth.
Try not to take it personally, unless it is.
Take it all in, use what is useful and be prepared to ignore what is not, but avoid simply confirming your preconceived notions.
Be better. Do better.
Your Uncle Ralph, Del Chatterson
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