"The I's Have It"

I didn't sleep well last night. Guess there was a lot on my mind.
(The hot flashes didn't help either!) For moments like that, I keep a
notebook next to my bed, just in case some brilliant thoughts show
up. The unconscious mind works out at night and occasionally tosses
us a good idea, something worth keeping. So in the middle of the
night I wrote down these three words: Intention, Insight and
Implementation.

I took the message to mean that I could be more productive if I set
an intention, asked for insight as to how to achieve it and then
followed through by implementing it.

So, this morning, while mulling over what to write for this week's
tip, my intention was (as always) to say something that would inspire
you to action or deeper thought, this time to get it done quickly and
with ease, since I have to travel later in the day. I asked for some
insight and remembered I had once, a long time ago, had written a tip
about the important "I's", and here I am implementing it. Yahoo! So
here you have an old, but quite worthwhile story some Incredible
"I's".

Ideas, innovation, invention, imagination, inspiration, ingenuity,
insight, intuition, "intrapreneurship," improvement. What
organization wouldn't like to have these qualities at their disposal
everyday?

And while these are things everyone says they want, what are you
actually doing to get them? What mechanisms have you set up in your
company to assure that these qualities are nurtured, used and
rewarded?

What have we challenged ourselves as individuals to do, on a regular
basis, to allow our innate creativity to emerge?

Are you asking yourself each day, "What can I do to make it better?"
"What can I improve today?" "How can I look at this differently"?

If you are a manager, do you routinely acknowledge the acts of
courage necessary for innovation? Have you created a climate where
people can try new things, take risks, experiment with new
possibilities? Have you created an environment where people are proud
to participate in the generation of improvement? Do you remove the
obstacles that stand in the way of curiosity? Do you reward that
generation of ideas?

If you are in a customer contact function do you ask yourself and the
customer, "What can we do to make it easier for you to do business
with us?" Do you ask yourself, "What can I do to be a better service
provider? What can I do to improve the process?" "How can I add more
value?"

Nothing improves unless we make the effort to improve it. Companies
that celebrate ongoing improvement get more of it, companies that ask
the provocative questions get interesting and innovative answers.
Start today, ask yourself three questions, every day, for the next
several weeks. Keep track of your answers. You just might find the
ideas you've been looking for.

Here's to your Inspiration!

JoAnna