On Twitter: L_EdwardJenkins
In my career I've held various titles in the marketing profession: Head Strategist, Director of Marketing, Chief Communications Officer, etc. However, the title I've always wanted, but haven't had yet: Chief Idea Officer. My job - regardless of title - has always been to come up with creative solutions to marketing and communications and branding needs of the company I work for. It's a job I find phenomenally challenging and incredibly rewarding. I am always excited to go to work and see what challenges the day has waiting for me. I can also say that, with one exception (and I'll never tell), all of my positions have afforded me the ability to run with my own talents and to develop a team of other talented people, which allowed us to tackle these various challenges successfully. However, from that one professional experience of mine and some colleagues, along with my experience consulting, I know that many places follow the organizational chart above. So, as the CEO how can you change this culture of no?
*I've written the below list in the context of a marketing and communications team, but it applies throughout your organization.
  1. Understand the role your Chief Communications/Marketing/Idea Officer plays in your company. They are the voice, the look and feel, of your brand to the public! You must be intimately aware of their goals and efforts to advance them. Once you understand what they're trying to do and why you'll be much more inclined to let them run with their ideas.
  2. Trust the person you've hired to run the team. All too often CEOs aren't involved enough in the hiring process of this person because of a lack of understanding of the importance of the position (see number 1). Before you let some committee or HR director hire your communications chief think about this: he or she will control your internal and external communications, your brand, your social media channels, your public relations team (which includes media relationships), your crisis communications plan, and much more. You must feel comfortable enough for them to do this that you don't become a bottleneck or the veto to all their ideas.
  3. Hire someone whose ideas are bold and fresh and forward thinking. If you don't leave meetings with this person where you're just a little nervous, you don't have the right person and they're not being bold enough. Hire someone who is constantly trying to break the paradigm. Don't hire the person who explains to you the trends that are happening now. Hire the person who tells you where he or she thinks the trends are going next - even if they get it wrong occasionally, this person will lead your organization's communication efforts not follow others.
  4. Take risks. Sometimes the empirical evidence and the idea that gets you excited and keeps you up at night won't match up. Every once in a while take that leap of faith and let someone run with it. Even if it turns out not to be successful in and of itself, you will be creating a culture that allows creative thoughts to thrive. When people see you approving of these risks that will create a culture throughout the rest of your leadership team and thereby your organization.
  5. Support your staff when an out of the box idea falls short of expectations or misses the mark all together. If you can see that execution was not the problem and that the team did the job as discussed you have to be willing to reward the idea and risk taking on its own merits. Great invention works the same way - you fail the first ninety-nine times and on the hundredth time you invent the light bulb.
  6. Learn how to redirect ideas or efforts without saying "no." The nature of big, bold, out-of-the-box ideas is that it's not always going to be what you're ready for. Find a way to put those ideas on hold and to help redirect that energy and passion from your staff in a way that is still creative and transformative.
  7. Make time to meet with and talk with employees on all levels - not just your top lieutenants. I guarantee you there are incredible ideas floating around your organization and the only reason you've never heard them is because you haven't listened. Younger staff are usually more in touch with current and upcoming trends and they will provide you with a fresh perspective on your viewpoint. Some of the best ideas that have come from my teams have been from the most junior person in the room.
Bottom Line: It will always be easier to stay with the status quo and to say no to ideas that may shake things up. But, you will hire, retain, and develop much better and talented staff if you engage them in a way that takes full advantage of their ideas and abilities. This is to say nothing of the benefits to and rewards from your customers. Maybe, as usual, Apple said it best: Think Different
What are some other ways to help turn the "no" culture into one where ideas and creativity thrive and are encouraged and rewarded?