Company Blog
Get Out of Jail Free
by Adam Zack — November 14, 2017
Threat of failure looms large
My favorite part of Monopoly is the Get Out of Jail Free card. I could take risks with borderline crazy chances and hunches, and if they didn’t work out and I ended up in the clink I could produce that special card, and voila! No more jail. Not even probation or community service to do! I emerged a free man with a clean record, able to learn from my mistakes and forge ahead exonerated, my record expunged, a twinkle in my eye and an extra bounce in my step. Ah, if only there were such a thing in real life. There isn’t, is there? But wait, I have the power to make things happen and I want my employees to stretch for new ideas, to try different things, to use their creativity and ingenuity to make magic happen for our customers. But you know what? In a lot of companies employees are scared to death to try new creativity. Why? Because the threat of failure looms large and failure is seen by many employees as a jail sentence and they don’t have a get out of jail free card. We even set up the jail analogy by using terms like “probation period” for new workers. So what can you do about it? At your next manager meeting talk about the need for new ideas and the initiative it takes to move them forward. Like a shark, if we don’t keep moving, we will die. And tell them that they ALL get a Get Out of Jail Free Card for any new idea or program they initiate. If their idea does not result in resounding success there are no repercussions. There is no shame. There will be no jail time. They have a card with your signature on it that says so.
Read More – Let Go
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