Here’s a link to an interesting Harvard Business School article recently brought to my attention by a colleague: http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6494.html. It has me thinking back to my August 15, 2010 blog and the Newsweek article on creativity.
I am a firm believer that “it takes a village” to be successful. Our human resources department makes it a point to test people to determine their best work attributes, and we make sure everyone goes through the Myers-Briggs course. It’s absolutely fascinating how each individual’s thought process and personality weigh in on completing projects. We’ve all seen how some colleagues dive right in while others take time to contemplate. It’s this yin and yang that makes things work. One of the first initiatives I implemented when I became CEO of Northeast Delta Dental was an “Ask Why?” campaign. Why do we do things the way we do and is there a better way. Process improvements happen when each of us, with our own flair, take a closer look at what we’re doing and take the time to explore how to do it better rather than just doing something a certain way because that’s the way we’ve always done it.
I’d be curious to hear from other business leaders how they assemble teams to tackle projects and problems. Your comments, please.