11/ 30/ 2007
The Expert:
Jeff Ray
CEO
SolidWorks Corp.
Concord, Mass.
People always ask me, "How do I do build a better product? How can I provide my customers with a better experience? How do I get a superior product to market more quickly?" The answer I give them is to reach for the absurdly ideal solution.
The absurdly ideal solution is the one that says common sense cannot be realized. It's the solution somebody else came up with that makes you wonder why you didn't think of it first. It's a process that turns the imagination loose on a problem.
At my company, we develop design software that our clients use to create products that make people's lives better. Every day, we enjoy receiving "emotional paychecks" when we witness innovators who personify the concept of the absurdly ideal using our software. Steve Gass, for example, wondered if you could build a table saw that cut wood but not fingers. His product, SawStop, not only does an excellent job sawing wood, but it can prevent injuries by stopping a rotating blade when it senses a finger in one-tenth the time it takes an air bag to deploy.
Still others leverage the concept to do the impossible. Aeronautical engineer Burt Rutan got this idea in his head that he could build a privately funded manned spacecraft that could soar into space, return safely and do it again in two weeks. In October 2004, he won the X Prize when his SpaceShipOne flew 328,000 feet above Earth twice within 14 days.
Although the list of innovators embracing the concept of the absurdly ideal is long, the question is, how do I adopt this notion to improve my business?
The first step is to stop doing all the thinking yourself. Tell people what needs to be done. Give them the power to make decisions and the responsibility for the results. Then accept the possibility of a high degree of failure. The last step is difficult. I've seen many companies send the wrong message by punishing employees who made a bold decision that went wrong. By delegating the authority to make decisions in real time, you're telling employees: "I trust you; I'm giving you the power to innovate." The trick is that you also have to teach your employees that you are well aware no one gets it right all the time. Allow the occasional mulligan--just not too many.
There's a famous story that illustrates this point. Back in the 1950s, an IBM manager tried something new that turned into a million-dollar blunder, a lot of money in those days. He was summoned to see the legendary Thomas J. Watson Jr., the president of IBM. Distraught, the man emptied his desk and phoned his wife to tell her he had lost his job. With all his remaining dignity, the man entered Watson's office, apologized and accepted his termination. "Fire you?" Watson asked. "I just paid $1 million teaching you a lesson. Now get back to work."
Legend has it that as word of Watson's reaction spread around the company, you could feel employee morale soaring. Watson knew that if he made an example out of someone who made a mistake, everyone would stop testing the limits and play it safe.
We had a similar experience at my company. An employee made a big mistake, and I was really mad at him. But my management team recommended that I not punish him. They said doing so would send a chilling message throughout the company. Their instincts were right. He's still a great employee, and he learned a valuable lesson that made him even better.
The absurdly ideal solution means encouraging your people to test the limits within limits. For leaders of high-performance, agile companies, the concept means accepting the occasional failure as part of the cost of innovation. Over time, empowering your employees to reach for the absurdly ideal solution will keep and attract innovative workers with the instincts to make the right decisions.
How to encourage imagination and innovation:
Empower employees.
You can run your business without being the only decisionmaker on staff. Give employees a chance to use their talents by giving them room to think for themselves.
Encourage creativity.
If it's your way or the highway, no one will feel bold enough to find innovative solutions. Reward those who try something different.
Trust employees.
After you've handed down responsibility to employees, resist the temptation to second-guess. Let them know you trust their decisions.
Accept failure.
When mistakes happen, don't stifle creativity with an overblown reaction. Fix the problem and make sure it doesn't happen again, but remember that people learn from their mistakes.
Share your story
Do you have helpful advice to share with other NFIB members? Tell us about lessons you've learned, and we may include your story in a future issue of MyBusiness. E-mail us at feedback@mybusinessmag.com.
