Leaders want to make a difference. They want to make significant positive change. They want to do something memorable and not feel like they have wasted time, resources, or opportunity. They want to leave a legacy of positive change and growth. I know that I do, and I am sure you do as well.
As a 45-year-old man, I figure I have about 15-20 years of optimum energy left to make that a reality. That is assuming something negative does not happen during the interim. Therefore, I am always looking for new skills and ideas to help make that a reality.
In the December/January issue of Fast Company magazine, a group of “Disrupters” discussed how they pulled off significant positive change in the organizations where they worked when every tradition and profitability scale worked against them. Here is what we learn from them:
Trust Your Gut
This is what Maryam Banikarim did as Marketing VP of NBC to solicit ideas from employees.
Creativity Can Survive Compromise
Tony Salvador of Intel created a new product to sell in India. His boss wanted him to make changes to the design that would hurt sales there. Salvador said, “Well, if it’s not going to sell in India, let’s sell it to the rest of the world. And we did. The Classmate PC was not exactly what we wanted it to be, but it still had value.”
Fight for Flexibility
Joichi Ito of the MIT Media Lab states, “That’s the problem with large organizations. They create roles and constraints, and sometimes, people forget why they’re there.”
