Tell me if this sounds familiar…

You’ve been trying to take your business to the next level.

You’re working harder than anyone you know.

You’re doing everything right.

(Or at least you think you are.)

But you’re getting nowhere fast.

All the while, you see story after story of business owners growing their business like crazy.

…Yet, that just hasn’t happened for you.

And you’re frustrated.

I’ve been there, my friend.

Every business owner and leader has their ups and downs.

But the biggest failure is to give up…

Right when you are one fresh idea away from innovating a breakthrough.

So instead of throwing in the towel…

Bring new ideas into your business.

Ideas are the lifeblood of innovation

To win today you simply need to test, measure and refine new ideas faster than your competitors.

And that’s what this email is about – how to bring new ideas into your business.

I’m going to teach you a foolproof method to bring a huge volume of fresh, new ideas into your business.

I’m talking about employee diversity.

And not just the catchphrase ‘diversity’…

I’m referring to the true diversity of:

• Ideas
• Thoughts
• Perspectives
• Ways to solve problems
• Approaches and methodologies

I’m talking about bringing different ideas into the business.

And this stems from…

Surrounding yourself with people who think differently than you

… And those who aren’t afraid to disagree with you.

So rather than recruiting and retaining people who will endorse and agree with your thoughts, seek out people with different perspectives.

People of different ages, cultures, communities, backgrounds, and experiences.

(Remember to ensure you have a time for team members to review existing processes and think about new ideas).

Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb. One of my favourites is to periodically ask all of your team 3 questions:

1. I really like…
2. The most unproductive part of my role (or aspect of the business) is…
3. Imagine if we could….

The answers and ideas for your business are out there… in diverse individuals.

In his book Originals: How Nonconformists Move the World, Adam Grant writes, “If you’re going to build a strong culture, it’s paramount to make diversity one of your core values. In hiring, instead of using similarity to gauge cultural fit [look for] people who will think independently and enrich the culture.”

Grant explains that companies where diversity is (truly) alive, employees are expected to challenge concepts, principles, and approaches.

Rather than deferring to those with seniority, highly successful leaders judge ideas based on their quality.

With the rapid rate of business, we need those quality, fresh ideas to keep us afloat… and keep us pushing forward.

Encourage and welcome employees to share their diverse ideas

This is accomplished by:

• Scheduling time to think ABOUT innovation (ie.. hosting more brainstorming meetings with leadership AND frontline staff)
• Seeking opinions and ideas through online surveys
• Providing books & articles for staff to read and asking them to share comments & thoughts
• Asking the quieter folk to speak up in meetings and share their ideas
• Recruiting diverse individuals from a variety of backgrounds and experiences
• Bringing in external resources, advisors or consultants across different generations, experiences and cultures to gain new vantage points
• Fostering an environment where ideas are judged on quality not necessarily just seniority
• Welcoming and supporting ideas even from the newest employees (in fact – include suggested feedback improvements as part of their probation check-ins)
• Listen to podcasts from different authors
• Get involved in professional networking groups (on and off-line)
• And any other approaches that engender distinct perspectives

Encouraging and fostering diversity can push your business (and your life) forward.

So here’s to being bolder and taking action in spite of fear, failure, and all the other things that have the potential to hold us back.

If you’re up for the challenge of transforming your work culture into a dynamic and fun place to be, download this month’s guide on implementing a winning culture, “Beyond Play Hard, Work Hard”:

Any questions?

If you have questions on this topic or any others, feel free to reach me by email or set up a free one-on-one consultation session, or drop me a comment below.

Thanks for sharing!