Get out of the way!
Here’s my own story of getting in the way. Everyone needs a reminder of the power of empowerment!
The story I’d like to share to demonstrate Principle #8 is one of my own failing. Even I sometimes throw out one of these Top 10 excuses.
A couple of years ago I was training a client on food waste reduction. I generated a lot of excitement and got them passionate about the possibilities - everything from redesigning buffets to feeding the hungry to donating to zoos. Someone in the room suggested they could use coffee grounds to make soap. Creative? Yes. Practical? I didn't think so.
My mind was closed to how they could successfully pull that off while at the same time addressing so many basic, operational waste reduction challenges. I put up the "let's wait until…" barrier! Honestly, I felt I was coming from a reasonable place at that time; I truly wanted them to experience success before taking on something so risky. However, I underestimated their spirit and ingenuity.
When I came back six months later to do a follow up training, not only had they made amazing strides in basic waste reduction measures, particularly composting, they gifted me with a bar of soap made from their coffee grounds!
A couple of gentlemen on the stewarding team had a real get it done attitude. They took initiative, invited others to participate, devised a practical and easy solution, and delivered a very special treat. They are my heroes. And I love that they proved me wrong. That’s an important element of good leadership: Be humble enough to know when you’re wrong and be agile enough to quickly pivot and join the movement.
They had discovered a local organization in Brooklyn who used coffee grounds to make soap and were able to donate a few hundred pounds by collecting the grounds from their coffee service areas in 5 gallon buckets - a simple extra step they were more than willing to take (which relates to Excuse #5 that employee won’t make an extra effort). It's worth noting that this donation represents a small fraction of the annual coffee ground waste generated by this facility. Sometimes the value of an initiative is not the total weight of the waste diversion or other efficiency savings, but in the goodwill and positive culture that it spreads.
While I am an advocate for setting goals and having a plan, the principle of INITIATE means sometimes you just have to step out wherever you are and see where the next step leads. As it becomes clear, you can iterate with adjustments and get more sophisticated with the strategy, execution, and metrics. In other words, don't let perfect be the enemy of the good you can do for the world.
I share this to show that no one is immune to the copout. Be aware of when you might be limiting or delaying impact based on your own perceptions. I was so pleasantly surprised by the initiative and heart this team put forth.
Learn more about all of the Top 10 excuses and how to overcome them by following the links below. And please join us on social media and share YOUR story. Astrapto features stories of overcoming via video interviews - let us know if you'd like to participate in that.
Read and watch more from the IGNITE series here.
