The title either speaks for itself or the subject matter has too many directions to travel. In either case, my writing came to a halt. It seems as though there is not enough 'pull' to lead me in the 'flowing' direction so I can share deeper and more valuable thoughts about this particular idea. I think the title has extreme value, however. I witness this kind of confusion surfacing in the organizations of many business leaders. Too many times a strong opinion misdirects the great possibilities that a small business model can enjoy. Instead of supporting a good idea, an opinion from the opposite side of the good idea surfaces and takes enough of a foot hold to restrict the good idea from occurring. I have seen this kind of management style cripple many small business opportunities. Often times a personal opinion directs the show. Good ideas will struggle when this occurs. Maybe this is where we need to look?
When we drive down the road and a motorcycle goes by us, we know when that bike is a Harley. There is usually no mistaking knowing when a Harley goes by. We can usually tell by the sound of the bike. Did you know that Harley Davidson patented the type and production process of that noise? They actually own the right to produce that sound the way it is produced. That specific sound is protected. It is protected for a reason. It was a good idea to protect the noise that identifies who you are. It was distinct enough to be 'branded.' However, what if you were a bike enthusiast who did not like loud noises? What if your personal opinion was to reduce sound litter? It was a good thing your opinion was not flowing around the board room when the Harley Davidson Company made the decision to support the patented business idea to secure its 'noisy' brand recognition. Your opinion would have killed a great business idea. That is exactly how fine the line to success can become. Our opinions carry a lot of where our models go.
I do not like a lot of things. I know what I do not like and I also know what I do like. Those certain characteristics have helped me to form some strong opinions about what I like and what I do not like. These things become part of my base of life opinions. I actually use those opinions to help me decide where and what I support. They work inside me to govern my choices. They also get inside my business life. They help me to govern what I do in that area of my life as well. I have formulated some very strong opinions about how I prefer to operate my business models. The more I tend to trust my opinions, the more I tend to rule out contrary ideas. I guess my original thought on this subject was to examine how we can damage our future success by allowing our strong opinions to take over the production patterns of our business ideas. Maybe the real title should be, "What Opinions Do We Support That Hinder The Development Of Good Ideas We Do Not Understand?" Maybe that is more like the discussion we should have.
When was the last time you sat down with your managers, your leaders and your staff and had this kind of discussion with them? Pull up a white board and write that last question on the top of the board and give them the microphone. Sit back and watch them go to work. They have opinions, too. Some of their opinions carry some very good weight. I also know enough about life and people to recognize that many of their good ideas are being suppressed by the quiet strength of your opinions. They do not feel safe enough to bring many of those good ideas to the table of judgement. They already suspect and know how you feel about certain opinions. Guess what? Now I know what we need to talk about.
How do your plain opinions cripple the good ideas your business model could and should be doing?
This is certainly worth a closer look. I know I have crippled many good ideas with my fleeting opinions. I know I have missed many great opportunities by refusing to look deeper when a good business idea cropped up but it sounded a lot like it would rub up against some opinions I carry. I know I have limited some good ideas with my support to dominate my business atmosphere with my personal opinions. I know I have made this quiet mistake. I know I will make that mistake again. I know I will not 'catch' myself every time my personal opinions take over to sideswipe the flow of some good ideas floating about. The real question, therefore becomes, how do I 'catch' my personal opinions trying to limit what good ideas come floating through my business model? How do I catch myself from limiting those great business ideas with the strength of my personal opinions?
How do we do this little trick?
Maybe we should play around with the white board idea? What if you designed a time, say once each month, and gathered around some casual food and paid your staff to join you in a planning session for good ideas? What if you designed the session to have no rules to limit the ideas that flow and you made sure you did not sit at the head of the table? In fact, what if you were not present? What if you only gave them one single white board and the only thing you expect is that when they leave the monthly session, they leave one defined good business idea on the white board when they leave? Allow them their own opinions. Does that kind of work and planning session intimidate your methods of operation? Would you feel threatened by this kind of business move? Do you feel as if you may not be able to handle the 'kick-outs' and peculiar 'human dynamics' this kind of move may generate? What is your personal opinion on this kind of move?
You see. This is how we operate. We have opinions that govern new business ideas. We can use those opinions to limit how we can improve the production of new and exciting business ideas. Our opinions may carry too much weight. We may be heavy on personal opinions in our business models and very short on good business ideas. Most of us design our business models in this quiet way. We clip out the healthy process for producing good business ideas because we have stronger opinions about what will or will not work. Our opinions actually work up a life long head of steam and dominate the grounds of our strong opinions and the strength of those opinions define where our business atmosphere should live. In some sense, good opinions carry good stuff to protect. In another sense, strong opinions can be very limiting to good growth opportunities. Personal opinions can limit good business ideas. I see it happen every single day. I see more leaders and owners practice this kind of limitation process over and over without ever giving it a second thought. Maybe that is why I thought of this title when I was walking yesterday. I was watching how other leaders were using their strong personal opinions on how to govern their intended restrictions of some new and good business ideas. It prompted me to think about this subject more clearly.
If you own a business model, be careful how you formulate the strength of your opinions. Make sure your opinions that govern how you operate your business model are founded on sound principles. Those sound principles should also include the pure laws of actual evidence before they become strong enough to support where you direct that model to go. Learn how to use the law of evidence in your formulation process of the opinions you support the most. Your business model is waiting for you to help it grow more successful. Trust me, your business model does not care much about your personal opinions. It does, however, respond very well to the initiation of some very good business ideas. Some of my best business ideas did not come from the opinions I carry. In fact, some of the best business ideas I have successfully practiced in my business models actually rubbed up against the opinions I had at that time. I have learned that it is alright to ratify my opinions once in awhile. Sometimes the results prove well.
Make sure you are fully prepared to examine what your personal opinions have grown to become. Once you see them for what they are worth, try to limit how they can kill the good business ideas that are floating about. Maybe we need a private room where we manage our own little white board of ideas? Maybe we need to compare notes with the white board we allow the staff to manage. We might discover some interesting differences in ideas and plans.
Until next time...
I hope you will continue your same best work and we will get more informative post which can helpful to us. Thanks for this.
ReplyDeleteways to get money fast
Good ideas are hard enough to come by, especially the ones that work very well. I find that most of the best ideas come from the efforts produced by other people. I think a once a month white board meeting is a good idea. Think tanks work well if they are given the right to be expressed fairly, openly and with respect. It is amazing how many good ideas are floating around in the minds of your associates. Good luck with finding those good ideas. Get out the white board and allow them to scribble up some new ideas.
ReplyDeleteTerry T.
This is what I have been looking for. This way of putting it makes it easier to understand and really interesting to read. Nicely done. Good job with this.
ReplyDeletebelize corporation
Paul,
DeleteI am glad you can use it. I hope it helps to solve some fleeting issues. Sometimes a situation requires just the right kind of approach. Glad to help.
Terry T.