Putting Our Differences to Work by Debbe Kennedy: NEW IDEAS, ABUNDANCE & CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

When there is a wealth of NEW IDEAS, there is a new level of ABUNDANCE that instantly becomes possible. Although business has many remarkable examples of new ideas being generated, many businesses today are paralyzed for good reasons. However, there is so much to inspire us out of our slump. One thing I've noticed is that in business, we tend to put problems through "the complexor."

Ever had that experience in your organization?

We over analyze and survey everything to death before we actually DO ANYTHING. And NEW IDEAS are sometimes squashed down quickly --- our fears, often lead us to dismiss a simple solution in favor of the more complicated, trendy one that is often piled high with processes, strategy, expense that eating into scarce funds, and timelines that go on and on.

Frankly, today continuing these kinds of patterns is a risky business. They also squelch creativity and too frequently, lead to ignoring the NEW IDEAS coming from the UNIQUE, the DIFFERENT, the EXCELLENT people right in front of us that see the world with a different view. They could really teach us a few things about the INNOVATION we seek, but we haven't taken time to LISTEN. This was affirmed by over 2000 leaders and innovators in 2009 at dialogues I held with futurist Joel Barker on the topic of INNOVATING in HARD TIMES. 84% reported that their #1 CHALLENGE was getting some to listen to their suggestions or breaking through the cynicism to anything or anyone new and different.

SHINING EXAMPLE:
Portable, Renewable Customer Experience
Every once in a while someone comes along to surprise you with an exceptional example of creativity that takes the NORM to a whole new level. It defies complexity and reflects utilization of our renewable resource --- ingenuity, innovation, and brainpower as a replacement for money. Interestingly, most of these examples are also covered with dozens upon dozens of fingerprints that have worked tirelessly with passionate hearts to do something they could never do alone---proving once again that the fastest to innovation, leadership, and high performance comes from putting our differences to work.

Sara Miles, founder of The Food Pantry at Saint Gregory of Nyssa Episcopal Church in San Francisco in 2000 gives us a powerful demonstration of this kind of attention to small details that makes for exceptional results. Their mission is summed up in their tagline: "Peace on earth. Food for all." The video below without words chronicles what happens each week when dedicated team puts their differences to work to create what could only be called an upscale CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE, complete with beautiful display, live music, fresh wholesome choices, delicious tastes, and a warm welcoming team of greeters. The sign reads... Free groceries. Come In! Not only do they create this experience, but Sara and her team have taken portable and renewable resource to a new level by recreating it every Friday. Imagine that?
See for yourself...

What could business we learn from their shining example?
Here are three lessons that came to me. How about you?

Distinguish your offering with the power of the experience you create for your customers.
Do what is right to do and blessings flow to make your vision a reality.
Put your trust in people, they have the answers to transform your stagnant business.

What lessons do you see in this example

Warm regards to all!

Debbe

Debbe Kennedy
founder, President and CEO Global Dialogue Center
and Leadership Solutions Companies
Twitter @debbekennedy @onlinedialogues

author, Putting Our Differences to Work
The Fastest Way to Innovation, Leadership,
and High Performance (Berrett-Koehler 2008)
Buy a Copy at Amazon.com