Creativity Killers

Here are some of the creativity killers Harvey Mackay has heard at receptions, conferences, seminars and speeches.

• It's not in the budget.
• The boss will never go for it.
• Great idea! Let's form a committee to tackle it.
• It will never work.
• We have done it this way for so many years, and we still make a profit.
• Why fix it if it isn't broken?
• That's not how we do things around here.
• That's not my job.
• Let's let the competition try it first and see what happens.
• It will create more work for the rest of us.
• Sounds like a great idea! Let's run it by Legal.

Harvey Mackay's New Year's Resolutions

Start your New Year today. And remember, anyone can make a resolution. Very few people can keep one.

1. I will improve my listening skills. I will remind myself that I can't learn anything when I'm doing the talking. I will abandon my phony "open door" policy and establish specific meetings and set aside specific times so others can have real access to me. I will break down barriers. I will try to end the "not invented here" syndrome and encourage the free flow of information across departmental and hierarchical lines. I will answer my own phone . . . well, I will answer it more often.
2. I will improve my professional skills. I will cease to be a pothole on the information highway. I will not allow myself to become one of these old fuddy-duddies who brags about his or her inability to operate modern business equipment. I will get up to speed on computers and communications equipment. Nobody should come into the 21st century without being computer literate.
3. I will exercise regularly. I will exercise regularly to the point where I will become "positively addicted." I know exercise not only improves my health but helps me maintain a high level of performance on the job.
4. I will encourage risk-taking. I know that more businesses fail from lack of boldness than from trying something new. I will not punish or ridicule honest mistakes. I love my work. I want others to feel the same about theirs, so I will try to make my workplace a fun and exciting place to be, not just a paycheck.
5. I will not neglect my family in pursuit of the almighty dollar. I will never forget that they do more to keep me on an even keel and bring more genuine happiness into my life than any business success I can ever achieve. So Carol Ann, I'm on my way home.