20% radical ideas: Stimulation & empathy
Why this is important:
With just a little dedication, we can easily learn to balance our core expertise of our work that provides fulfillment with new challenging tasks that create growth. Often we don't make time to allow ourselves to think creatively, differently or upset the status quo. We find ourselves stuck in a comfort zone or only in the areas in which we feel confident. We also need to dedicate time and effort to thinking outside-of-the box as it pertains to both basic and challenging tasks. The point of this type of the radical ideas mindset is not to be a constant disruptor, innovator or devil's advocate - but to train our brains to see things differently. In fact, much of the time this mindset won't be actionable, but it will generate excitement and invigorate our creative side, and that of others! We need to also demonstrate astute social awareness, or empathy, while sharing radical ideas.
With just a little dedication, we can easily learn to balance our core expertise of our work that provides fulfillment with new challenging tasks that create growth. Often we don't make time to allow ourselves to think creatively, differently or upset the status quo. We find ourselves stuck in a comfort zone or only in the areas in which we feel confident. We also need to dedicate time and effort to thinking outside-of-the box as it pertains to both basic and challenging tasks. The point of this type of the radical ideas mindset is not to be a constant disruptor, innovator or devil's advocate - but to train our brains to see things differently. In fact, much of the time this mindset won't be actionable, but it will generate excitement and invigorate our creative side, and that of others! We need to also demonstrate astute social awareness, or empathy, while sharing radical ideas.
Examples:
- A nurse in a hospital is known for being efficient and incredibly kind. They are adept at all aspects of patient care, including proficient use of technology, and understanding workflows. They often wonder if there are ways that we could better engage with our patients, to make them more comfortable while in the hospital. Through a desire to maintain efficiencies, this nurse avoids daydreaming about these things and may feel that is detracting from the core of their work. After weeks of loosely exploring the idea of a dedicated 'patient concierge', the nurse spends 30-mins at the start of their shift writing down their ideas. They eventually share these ideas with a colleague who gets excited and adds their own thoughts. A week later they share this with a manager and so begins the process of creating a patient concierge role for the hospital!
- A computer programmer has been using Microsoft project management software for most of their career. They notice that other colleagues in the field are using other tools like Asana and Kanbanery. The programmer suddenly sees an opportunity within the range of all of these tools the shared ability to manage projects by breaking them into smaller chunks to test code faster. The idea of breaking projects into smaller chunks was inspired by how the various PM tools work together seamlessly, although run on separate platforms. The programmer eventually schedules time with other programmers to discuss better more agile ways to code software. The programmer does this with empathy, as they realize others may view this perspective as a criticism on their own work. Over time, the collective mindsets shift across platforms and software development projects become much more nimble.
- An operations manager at the city parks and rec department is finding themselves 'stuck', and does not feel that they are providing their city with the best activities and amenities. While the team functions very well, they see cities around them offering better park services, and other communities more engaged with their residents. They are open to new ideas, and finally comes to the realization that they need to do something different. The operations manager shares their idea at the next city hall meeting to create a regional council that includes heads of park and rec in other neighboring cities so they can share ideas and learn from one another. The operations manager is empathetic to the city's other leaders, and reinforces this new idea with the fact that this would benefit all communities and would have little downside. They can all learn from one another and view things from many different angles.
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