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Big Ideas in the Workplace

Last week, Frank Roche over at Know HR noted…

[President Theodore Roosevelt and John Muir] took a stagecoach by themselves into the wilderness. Camped under the stars. Talked about preservation. And thought big thoughts. And I wondered what big management thoughts we’ve had in the last 100 years.

It’s a good question, and Frank and I had an interesting discussion in the comments section. I sometimes wonder if we don’t hear about any big ideas in work because it’s all being over-engineered.

What if we just got back to the basics?

  1. Hire smart, intellectually curious people.
  2. Give them enough freedom to do great work, but enough coaching, feedback and support to keep them engaged.
  3. Have completely irrelevant fun activities often to stave off burnout, build bonds, and keep the creative juices flowing.

I’m sure I’m missing something, but those big items get you pretty far.

Image via Awesome People Hanging Out Together