Tonight I had the genius idea of starting a new blog. I've been thinking a lot lately about what I want to do in life and what I get most passionate about. And when it comes down to it, I love talking business... how to communicate to employees, how to shape behavior, just plain good business. So why not start a blog? Why not share these ideas I have with the world instead of holding them in? Who knows. Maybe this will turn into a book or a gig. At the very least, it will be cathartic.
So without further ado, let's get this thing started. What would I do if I were boss?
The Solution Box
I am a firm believer in two things. #1 Every business (and even person) should have a comment box. And #2 Every comment that is about a problem should be accompanied by a solution.
At the hospital cafeteria there is an a la carte section with chicken fingers, fried mushrooms, onion rings that are placed in identical white bags and placed in a metal divider. However, in order to get what you want, you have to basically thumb through them to figure out which of the items they are currently serving and which divider they've placed them in. Here's a great idea. Put labels on the dividers! But who do I tell? I'm really not one for speaking up, but if there were just a place that I could write the idea down and know that the right person who can make that change would see it, I would be doing so. Nothing frustrates me more than having a suggestion or even a compliment and not knowing what to do with it. A comment box is key to opening up the lines of communication AND allowing staff to make comments anonymously if by chance you happen to (unfortunately) have a culture based on fear and closed doors (which will be a post of its own soon enough). So, If I were boss, I would have a comment box, or better yet, a solution box.
A solution box is one step beyond a comment box. I would let people know that their comment about a problem will be tossed unless at least one solution or next step accompanies it. This is great for employees and staff. Okay, so you think we could do something differently, but what would you like? I would ask employees to tell me what they want to see, not just what they don't want to see. I'm pretty sure this was a key point in the book the No Complaining Rule (which is a good read, but is essentially a short fictional story).
So here it is. My new blog. We'll see how it goes. I hope to have some guest bloggers by some really great people I know who have the same passion. On that note, anyone want to guest blog? What would you do if you were boss? Or, if you are a boss, what are your favorite tips or tricks?
