Business Open-Mindedness: A Key To Success

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) December 19, 2011 -- There is nothing worse when you are busy trying to get through the day’s tasks when somebody bursts in on you with another great idea , or with their next insight as to why your idea won’t work! Don’t be so quick to disregard these thoughts of others; it may be the next big product for your business or it may stop you making a huge mistake.

Take The Time To Listen

It is difficult when you are busy to switch gears to a totally different subject matter and to give it your full, undivided attention, so don’t. Trying to listen to a new idea when your mind is on something else is unlikely to result in a proper hearing of the idea, which could have several negative implications. First you will not be fully listening, may not grasp the importance or urgency of the issue, may not ask the relevant questions and may dismiss the idea before it has been fully explored. The purveyor of the idea will also feel slighted and that you do not listen , resulting in them being less likely to make suggestions in the future. This way you lose, they lose and the business may lose out on an important opportunity.

Open-Mindedness

There is a time and a place for open-mindedness . You don’t have to allow interruptions, in fact, it is a good idea to not allow interruptions when you need to focus on the challenge at hand, but you should make time to hear out those claiming to have a great idea, a real concern or just a comment. Just do it when it is a more convenient time for you, and give yourself a chance to truly listen to their thoughts and ideas when you are in a more receptive mood. This way you are more likely to ask the salient questions and truly explore the implications of the suggestion. The positive implications of this approach are perhaps obvious. The individual making the suggestion feels they have been given a fair hearing and their idea has been considered Even if you do not take it forward, they are less likely to feel inhibited to bring other ideas forward. Secondly, the idea may make sense for the business and should be adopted, so then everyone wins, the business, you and the person with the idea.

Developing A Plan

The same is true for a planning process, namely, that you and others need time to consider a plan or idea, and you should not rush to finalize it before all thoughts have been provided and considered. I have always found that creating a “Strawman” or outline of a plan is a great first step, after asking for ideas and suggestions. But don’t rush to conclude the plan; it is important to give all the stakeholders a chance to consider the idea, to kick it around a bit, and to prompt discussion so they all involved can hear the different views and ideas, critique and corrections. The tough part is knowing when enough deliberation is enough. For this I suggest putting a timeline together to collect ideas, create a Strawman, discuss the subsequent issues and thoughts that transpire from consideration of the Strawman and only then to draw conclusions and finalize the plan. The time required depends on when a decision is needed, the complexity of the idea or plan, and how many parties are involved. The other difficult part, of course, is that everyone will not always agree. An approach with this challenge, that I have always found effective, has been to ask a team to provide a series of options with the pros and cons, and to push them to make a recommendation. This exercise tends to tease out the important issues and can help drive a decision that makes sense to most.

Give Ideas A Chance
The other important aspect of open-mindedness is to not allow your own ideas or plans to become too set in concrete, or at least to not solidify an idea or plan too quickly. You may not agree with ideas from others, but you may learn how others perceive an idea, and perhaps a modification makes sense. In short, keeping an open mind, and holding off on firm decisions allows you to learn, raise issues, modify and hopefully make the optimal decision for your business, for you and others involved.

MP Consulting writes a weekly blog on Social Media, Marketing, Leadership, Business Strategy and other Key Business Topics. I hope you enjoyed this blog and that you will send me your comments and subscribe and link to my blog at http://mpconsulting.worpress.com. There are a number of free guides and presentations available at my site, and if you need help, or need to ask me a question, then fill out the comment section on my blog or send me an email.

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MP Consulting Services specializes in the areas of strategic planning, leadership, marketing and social media. Mark Philip, principal at MPCS, has over 20 years experience in managing businesses, both small and large, has orchestrated multiple turnarounds, built product pipelines, launched new products, sold companies and created significant shareholder value. Let me know how I can help you with your business challenge

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