10 Great Words

Do you make New Year’s Resolutions? They usually involve something we all struggle with - change. Another word for change is Transform. Lehman & Lehman, Inc. has been “transforming horizons” for over 20 years!
To help you transform your resolutions, and your horizon for 2010, we’ve provided “10 Great Words” (authored by Jim Carroll, a futurist and trends / innovation expert). This is a powerful list with thought provoking concepts. Enjoy!
Observe
Take the time on a regular basis to look for the key trends that will impact you, the industry you work within or the career you have established. Take the time to learn about the many automated knowledge discovery tools that exist on the Internet; develop a culture that taps into global collaborative knowledge. Far too many organizations sit back after a dramatic change and asked, “what happened?” Make sure that your organization is one that asks, “what’s about to happen? And what should we do about it?”
Think
Analyze your observations: spend more time learning from what you see happening around you. If you are like most organizations, you are responding to trends on a short term, piecemeal basis: you are reactive, rather than proactive. Step back, take a deep breath, and analyze what trends are telling you. From that, do what really needs to be done.
Change
In a time of rapid change, you can’t expect to get by with what has worked in the past – you must be willing to do things differently. Abandon routine; adopt an open mind about the world around you. The world is changing at a furious pace whether you like it or not. Take a look at how you do everything – and decide to do things differently.
Dare
Have you lost your ability to take risks? Maybe so – yet risk-taking is critical to innovation and change. Work with a few of the new ideas that you generate, and try them out. That’s the only way that you will be comfortable with what comes next.
Try
How many of your people have lost their ability to adapt to changing circumstances because they’ve lost their confidence? Developing new skills and career capabilities is critical, given the rapid change occurring around us. Yet too many people have managed to convince themselves that they can’t adapt; they can’t change. Don’t let that happen – it’s one of the worst attitudes for going forward into the future.
Empower
In a world of rapid change, you can’t expect that rigidly defined rules will be the appropriate response to changing circumstances. A ticked off customer needs a solution right now from a front line customer service rep – not some type of follow-up from head office weeks later. A middle manager in a remote location needs the ability to make a decision and must commit to it today – they can’t afford to wait for the wheels of head office bureaucracy to churn. Destroy the hierarchy, and encourage a culture in which people are given the mandate and the power to do what’s right, at the right time, for the right reason.
Question
Go forward with a different viewpoint by challenging assumptions and eliminating habit. If your approach to the future is based upon your past success, ask yourself whether that will really guarantee you similar results in the future. If you do certain things because “you’ve always done it that way,” then now is an excellent time to start doing them differently.
Banish
Get rid of the words and phrases that steer you into inaction and indecision: “We can’t do that.” “It won’t work.” “That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard.” These are the innovation killer phrases – watch for them, and don’t permit them to be used.
Grow
Stop focusing strictly on cutting costs – focus on service opportunity instead. Don’t stand in fear of what you don’t know – teach yourself something new. Don’t question your ability to accomplish something great – grab the bull by the horns and see what you can do! The point is, in a world of rapid change, you must continually enhance your capabilities and opportunities through innovative thinking. Change your attitude now, and the rest will come easily.
Do
Renew your sense of purpose, and restore your enthusiasm for the future by taking action. Too many organizations, and the people who work within them, are on autopilot. They go into work each day, and do the same things they did the day before, with the belief that everything today is the same as it was yesterday. It isn’t.
Word #11
Oh, and there’s an 11th great word!
Enjoy!
Through the years, I’ve come to learn that the groups that pursue innovation are those organizations and individuals who approach the future with a lot of passion. These are the folks who tend to wake up every day and think, “wow, I can’t wait to get to work!” These are the people who have succeeded with being innovative, in mind, spirit, and actions.