See a vacuum that doesn’t look or act like a conventional vacuum. By understanding how consumers use a vaccum, and then solving its ineffective features, Dyson created something entirely new. They did not start with what existed, they started with zero and built it without preconditions.

Notice the Dyson Air Multiplier, a new type of fan. For years, fans have had blades. Why? Dyson’s reinvention of a bladeless fan that is more effective, smoother and safer started with a “consider everything” approach to a problem or inefficiency.

So how do you “Dyson” in your workplace? How do you consider issues in new and non-traditional ways to create a better product, process or service solutions?

To “Dyson-ize” your approach in the workplace, consider the following:
1. Select a problem, challenge or ineffective/inefficient service, process or product.
2. Create what I call a “creativiteam” – a team assembled from different areas of the business – to bring their diverse perspectives and non-preconceived notions about the challenge.
3. Allow the team complete freedom to brainstorm new approaches to the challenge. Remind them to consider everything.
4. Allow the team to meet with the frequency it requires.
5. Require the team to propose 2-3 ideas to address the challenge or problem, and rank their solutions from most effective to least effective. Present the ideas to management team.

The benefits:
1. All employees are regularly brought into creative problem-solving and they become owners in the solutions of the business.
2. Cross-functional teams encourage non-traditional solutions and better organization interaction.
3. The organization is constantly supplied with opportunities to reinvent and redevelop to stay ahead of the competition.

Capitalize on the creative genius in your people. Many times they do not “Dyson” because they are not asked to. The more you ask your employees to invent, reinvent and reconsider, the more they do it and the better at it they become. You paid for their creative input, be sure you ask for it.

Please pass this on to someone who can benefit from it, and contact me to help you fire up! your employees to be clever like Dyson.

Manager: Are all your employees working in the right jobs – jobs that play to their strengths and passions? How will you realign?

Today, I continue with my seven steps to finding a job you love because when you love your job, your performance, effort and engagement improves. Today, I introduce Step 4.

Find the right job Step 4:
Review what you listed from steps 1, 2 and 3 (what you are great at, what you love to do and what fits into your definition of success) and identify where any of the items you listed intersect. Where these three areas intersect is called your “MaxImpact Core.” This represents the environment that allows you to connect to your performance both intellectually and emotionally. This is where you have the greatest “fit,” greatest passion and greatest connection. This is critical information needed to identify your dream job – your “right” job. It is worth the effort to go through this process. Most people do not know what they are great at. Fewer know what their definition of success is. Where these, and your passions, intersect is where you will feel empowered and alive in the workplace. Find this. Trust me, you will be so glad you did and you will never take a boring job again. Life is too short to hate your job. It is your choice to have an ordinary or extraordinary job (and life). Learn how to find a job that activates your passions and makes you feel significant. Own your work and your life…you can have the best of each.

Two final steps and we’re done. I introduce Step 5 tomorrow. Don’t miss it. And share these with your friends and families who are job hunting…learn a better way of looking for the right job – one that will give you a job you love (and will excel in). For more information see “Stand Out and Get Hired” . Know yourself, what you are great at and what you are passionate about. Then find a job that allows you to use these. That is the “right” job for you.

As I travel and work with managers and employees, I find that most do not know themselves well – they are unaware of what they are great at and what activates their passions. The result is they work in jobs they find to be boring, uninspiring and disengaging. The more disconnected they become from their work, the more their performance (and the performance of the organization) suffers. So take control. Know yourself well; know which jobs play to your strengths, which jobs ignite your passions and which jobs activate your best performance. Then, if job hunting, apply for jobs that meet these criteria. Stay focused on jobs that play to your strengths because these are the areas in which you are most competitive. Play to your strengths and then be sure the employment world knows what you are great at. Great employees are always in demand.

Fired Up! employees have the freedom to invent, discover and propose – because that is where the great ideas come from. An economic crisis is a great opportunity to see how clever your people can be. Keep them in dark and you will fall victim to the economy. Allow them to invent, solve, questions, try and assess – and they not only become smarter, they become more excited, focused on solutions and engaged. Or, as I like to say on this site…Fired Up.

Check out this link to an article by my favorite author, Thomas Friedman. He concurs. See what you think.

Don’t dumb things down. Fire them up.

Attracting, hiring and retaining high performing employees are the responsibility of today’s managers. Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all jobs – of any employee will do in any job. Today, employees’ performance is based on their job fit. Today’s employees want to work in high performing cultures; they want to work in roles that match their talents, interests and values. They want a strong and professional relationship with their managers. And when this happens, they perform and stay. And today, you need the best performers.