Extreme User Interviews

"The way to get good ideas, is to get lots of ideas and throw the bad ones away."
- Linus Pauling

Launching A New Idea
Over the course of my career I've come up with plenty of good ideas. At least I thought they were good ideas. A valuable lesson I learned along the way was to utilize a small group of bright people to review my ideas, offer their feedback, and then improve or reject my "good idea."

Experienced Users Know the Hacks
How does that get put into practice? It's not as difficult as you might think, but it does require a healthy dose of trust and humility. Both are challenges for me!

My process was straightforward, and based entirely on my experiences with other leaders in the organization. Those that I knew were engaged, big thinkers, knew our culture, and were well respected were put on a list.

Next step, I reached out to them individually and asked them to serve as my sounding board group. If they were uncomfortable, it was, of course, perfectly fine for them to decline.

None ever did...and I suspect the leaders you ask will also jump at the opportunity to contribute and help you.

And then...the humility piece. Once the group was assembled and I walked them through my idea, it was time for them to offer their gut reactions, their insights, their unique perspectives on what I thought I had completely worked out in advance.

On more than one occasion their feedback was humbling; but was always provided professionally. The best part was, it helped me make much better decisions than if I had relied on myself. 

How About You
Who do you rely on to help you work through new ideas or changes to your organization? Is the pressure to come up with everything on your own locked into you head? Let that go...and reach out to all of those bright minds around you.

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.


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10 Things I Like

I'm a big fan of all sorts of things...and I thought I'd share a few with you today. Maybe some of these are on your list....

1. Leaders who are not afraid to call bull**** when they see it, regardless of the political fallout. If you stop reading right here, keep this thought in mind the next time you remain silent in the Board room.

2. Employees who bring ideas forward all the time. They're thinking and trying to make your organizaiton better. Hang on to them.

3. Working out like a beast.

4. Technology that makes my life easier. Think Wunderlist and Evernote. You seriously aren't still writing things down...and then rewriting them on a list somewhere, right? 

5. Fast, loud, heavy music.

6. Leaders who understand that everyone is watching their every move, word, and deed. We're in a bubble. Act accordingly.

7. Fast, loud race cars.

8. Kind colleagues. We've all seen too many self-absorbed "experts" out there...for God's sake, be nice to each other.

9. People who understand that partnership means actually working together.

10. Fast, loud, heavy music. (I really like it, so it gets two mentions)

How About You

What gets you fired up, makes you feel good, or simply helps you get through the day hassle-free?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.

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Now You've Got Something to Die For

I hear the word passion a lot. Leaders are passionate about their ideas and organizations...employees are passionate about their profession...friends are passionate about their hobbies...celebrities are passionate about various causes.

That's a lot of passion.

Does It Matter?
Lately I've been wondering if all of that "passion" is just talk? I don't mean that people don't feel strongly about their various interests, but is there a difference between being so passionate about something, that we're abusing the term and losing the impact of what we're really trying to say?

What do we stand for? Is it that we're committed to a program or charity or our own personal agenda?

"Maybe we aren't quite ready to admit that when we say we're passionate about something, we really mean we're only going to accept our own idea as a solution."

I wonder what our employees think when we're so "passionate" about something and they never get a chance to offer their perspective? I wonder if their ideas are ever better than ours? Hmm.

How About You
What gets you fired up? Is it something you feel so strongly about that everyone on your team must comply? Do you believe they think it's worth "dying" for? Do you?

I'd love to hear from you.

No Excuses.



photo credit 

My Great Idea - Rejected!

Have you ever had a great idea?  One that you just knew would make a difference for your organization, maybe even the entire community?  Did you make sure you researched it, collected the appropriate data, and even addressed the political pitfalls that would need to be avoided in order for your idea to get off the ground?


I worked for a time outside of HR and I had one of those ideas...and it was rejected...in a big way.


But You Don't Understand
How could this be?  I did the work.  My idea saves money.  Everybody wins.  There must be some mistake.  But there was no mistake.  The CEO of the organization I worked for at that time was not comfortable moving forward.  My idea faded away and the organization moved ahead.  But what was I supposed to do?  I certainly did not understand.  In fact, I still don't.  It was a damn good idea.

Now What?
I found myself in a very awkward position after that experience.  I had worked with my supervisor (the Vice President of Medical Affairs); I had worked closely with the team in Finance to develop the pro forma; I had worked with the lead physician from our major competitor (this was a joint venture project between bitter healthcare system rivals); I clearly demonstrated that patient care would improve for both organization's patients; I took everything into consideration...except one thing.


Egos.


Somehow I hadn't learned that the CEOs of both systems back then could not appear to be working collaboratively.  They were rivals.  Period.

Time To Choose
I quickly realized I had one of two choices to make:  1 - sulk, complain, and get lost in my own misery; or, 2 - suck it up and move on.  My colleagues would have allowed me some time to feel bad for myself.  They knew how much I had put into that proposal, and that I was on the verge of making a major breakthrough in how healthcare was delivered in that community.  They would have understood.


But I went with #2.  I hate whining.  I hate being miserable.  I hate excuses.


How About You
When have you had a terrific idea and it was rejected?  How did you handle it?  Did you walk around as if you just lost your best friend?  Or, did you step up, learn, and move forward?


I'd love to hear from you.


No Excuses.








pic courtesy of Resume Guides