Amazing Firms, Amazing Practices

Robert Millard

My Edge International colleague in Johannesburg, Robert Millard, passed this along internally - I immediately sought his permission to share it with you.

You are driving down the road in your car on a wild, stormy night, when you pass by a bus stop and you see three people waiting for the bus:

1. An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.
2. An old friend who once saved your life.
3. The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.

Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing that there could
only be one passenger in your car?

Think carefully before you continue reading........................

You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus you should save her first.

Or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and this would be the perfect chance to pay him back.

However, you may never be able to find your perfect mate again.

The "out of the box" answer? Give the car keys to your old friend and let him take the lady to the hospital. Then stay behind and wait for the bus with the partner of your dreams.

Sometimes, we gain more if we are able to give up our stubborn thought limitations.

FASTFORWARD: What options are we not seeing that would accelerate our firms toward our vision of an ideal future?

Edward De Bono

FOOTNOTE: Edward De Bono is #20 on this year's list of the top 50 business thinkers. His books can be found at Amazon - if you are not already familiar with him, treat yourself to his book, Lateral Thinking - but warning, if you get addicted, you'll be consuming all his treasures (and perhaps choosing better strategies at the bus stops of your professional life).

OK. Here's what's interesting.

To me (and I didn't even peek!) that was the obvious answer, not the "out of the box" answer.

Yet, with all the urging for associates to "think out of the box", should you as an associate provide a solution like the one here, and firm management is going to look at you like your head exploded. (No polite protestations of denial, please -- I've had it happen, more than once. And I would imagine that, for the majority of people, a recession is a strong disincentive to court that look.)

So.

Relevant to the framework we're actually working with here, any progressive (dare I say "out of the box" :D) suggestions?