Thomas Edison
said, "There ain't no rules around here. We're trying to
accomplish something!" How can you accomplish anything, discover
anything, forge ahead, if there are rules holding you back?
Of course,
when dealing with masses, such as when driving, flying, attending
sporting events or other large venues, you need rules or you would
have chaos. Rules are necessary to maintain order.
I think what
Mr. Edison meant is that you cannot be afraid to take a chance
because you might break a rule. What if Rosa Parks had "obeyed
the rules" and sat in the back of the bus? What if our forefathers
had not "broken the rules" and signed the Declaration
of Independence? What if Picasso had painted by number?
Do you encourage
yourself and those around you to think beyond the rules? Do you
give your employees the power to make decisions about the line?
Can they change a rule or two to see if it makes operations more
efficient? Why not get them together to brainstorm about what
they think can be done to improve the line, the company, the work
environment or even the corporate image. Make the meeting fair
game for whatever topic is on their minds. There aren't any rules.
You are trying to improve the company.
Also, your
employees are your greatest assets. Who knows your finishing lines
better? Who knows the day-to-day operations of the company better?
What better way to encourage teamwork? And it really doesn't cost
much money. More time is involved than anything. Have the meeting
during lunch and order in a few pizzas. Have it in the morning
before work and order in a couple dozen donuts.
Several large
and small finishing companies practice this empowering process.
Larger companies tend to have a more formalized process, while
smaller companies tend to just gather round the break table. No
matter how formalized the process, the atmosphere in the shop
should be one of openness and acceptance, where employees aren't
afraid to present ideas no matter how farfetched they may seem.
Consider
what Thomas Edison's rules may have been. This man had patents
for things that people probably thought were quite useless at
the time: an electric pen and paraffin paper, which ended up being
used for wrapping candy. He was never discouraged. He is quoted
as saying, "Just because something doesn't do what you planned
it to do, doesn't mean it is useless." No idea is useless;
it probably just hasn't been expressed.
