A recent article over on the HBR blogs on five powers that get ideas off the ground basically outlined the five things you need to do to get your supply chain ideas off the ground. To show you just how straightforward they are, I’m going to translate them for you in this post.
- Show Up
Woody Allen once said that ninety percent of life is just showing up. It’s as true in business as it is in life. It might take a long time, but, generally speaking, the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
- Speak Up
For your ideas to take flight, they have to be heard. Put them forward. And don’t be afraid to stand up when others make claims you know are wrong. As Seen That pointed out in response to my post that Sunk Costs Are Not Underwater Treasure, you have to have the guts to stand up and say, “Yes, but what you bought us is completely useless, because (a) nobody uses it, (b) nobody knows how to use it, and (c) the one person in your department who apparently does know how to use it is up to her eyeballs with work. So you haven’t solved our problem”.
- Team Up
Find an organization that will benefit and profit from your idea and create a joint initiative. There’s strength in numbers, and if you get enough support, it gets to the point where only the CEO could veto your effort, which she’s not likely to do if enough of her team stands behind you.
- Look Up
Define and focus on guiding principles that are ethical and sustainable. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it will score lots of points inside and outside the company in a world that’s becoming ever more focussed on corporate social responsibility.
- Don’t Give Up
Persist, persist, persist. Everything is a failure until it succeeds. Never Give In!