Why my boss let’s me write this blog….

One of the key areas in business coaching is team and fostering productivity out of your employees. After all, that’s why you pay them; to produce results. So, you may ask, why on earth would a reasonable, logical, businessman let his admin person run wild and blog to her hearts content? 

I was thinking about this on the way to work this morning. Recently, I learned that it is important to foster a work environment that allows your employees to take calculated risks without fear of retribution. Now, this is within reason of course; I’m not saying take the office credit card to the nearest casino and start calculating your risks over your third martini at the black jack table; I’m talking about letting your people capitalize on their strengths. 

My strength is art. It’s imagination. It’s ideas, discovery, and enthusiasm. That only gets you so far in the business world without some complementary (boring) other talents like organization, multitasking, and knowing your way around a spreadsheet. 

I spent five and a half years working at an accounting firm where my creativity, although utilized to edit financial statements, write proposals, create brochures, etc. it was looked upon as a negative. I always felt like the bearded lady of the office (and no, it has nothing to do with me being Italian). 

Thus, in my new position here at ActionCOACH Spokane, when it came time to step up and produce creative and witty marketing material; I was dead inside. Sure I could write something logical, coherent, straight –to-the point; but colorful, attention grabbing? 

Nada. 

I mentioned before that I have weekly meetings with my boss and business coach. Each week we cover a key in the book “An Enemy Called Average” by John Mason.  So, I took a risk. I started to just sit down at the computer a few minutes before our meeting and write whatever came to mind. 

As the weeks progressed, it got a little easier to communicate my thoughts without second guessing every word I typed. Now, fast-forward a few months. 

I had this idea for to write this blog because I thought, perhaps, I could communicate to other people the valuable things I learn from this amazing organization. I am not selling coaching. I don’t know how to sell business coaching. See my very first blog posting; I paint pictures. I don’t know how to sell them.  But what I do know is that if I can take you along with me on this journey, then perhaps maybe one person, one business owner, one visionary, one employee, will see the light and take control of their destiny. 

But I digress. My boss lets me write this blog because he knows my creativity will spill over into other areas of my responsibilities. He knows that if he can encourage my strengths, nurture my innovation, and give me a little room to run wild, that it will benefit him and the office the most. 

For example, this morning I could not get to my desk fast enough to write this blog post. Yes, I couldn’t wait to get to work. 

See the brilliance behind this? 

Because my boss understands that for me to produce the best results in terms of marketing initiatives and other endeavors that require out-side-the-box thinking, he has to open the box for me. 

Think about what you need from your team members.  Are you nurturing their creativity and innovation? Are they rushing to their desk each morning, excited about new possibilities? Or are they trapped inside a box void of creative oxygen?   

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