You’re excited about something new but how do you know if you should try a new idea at work? While it’s good to be innovative, a bad idea could cost your business valuable time and money. Your employee engagement and retention might also go down, if the idea creates frustration.
While there is always some risk with new ideas, I have a process that can help you prejudge their potential success. In this episode of our Employee Productivity series, you’ll learn the questions you should ask before you try a new idea at work.
What Productivity Questions Does This Video Answer?
- Should you try a new idea at work?
- How can you reduce the risk of a possible bad decision?
- How can you make change at work easier for employees?
- What can you do to see if a process that works at one business will fit your business?
Video Transcript for Should You Try a New Idea at Work?
Is your new idea a good idea? Let’s put it to the test. A bad idea will cost you time and money. Guess what? Most bad ideas started out at someone’s good idea. So how do you put an idea to the test? Four questions I want you to consider:
The first one, why are we considering this? Has something new happened like technology come out? Has a problem been unearthed? What is it that’s making you say, “We need to change.”
Next, what happens if we do nothing. If you have a leak in your roof and and you did nothing, the leak would likely get bigger.
So that would suggest a problem that needs some sort of solution. Decide whether your challenge is something like that.
You should also consider whether the idea will fit your organization. Are you taking an idea from organization that has thousands of employees. Will it scale to an organization that has 20 or 100.
Make sure it can fit. A good idea could work very well but simply not be appropriate for the size of your organization.
Final thing, I want you to take out that metaphorical crystal ball and consider how will things change in one year, if this new idea is adopted. This give you an opportunity to think ahead, set some goals, have some expectations, and consider whether it’s a good move. There are lots of ideas out there. Many are excellent but not all of them fit. See if these four questions can help.
About This Video Series
Ken Okel’s ongoing Employee Productivity video series will make you more effective on the job. Every week, you’ll learn a new, easy to understand tip that you can use right away, like how automation can help your team.
Got a productivity problem? Let us know and we’ll feature it in an upcoming episode.
About Ken Okel
As a motivational speaker, Ken Okel works with leaders and organizations to boost productivity, performance, and profits. At conferences, conventions, and company meetings, he engages audiences with new ways to maximize their time at work. To see a sample of his keynote and workshop presentations, visit his video page.
