When I ask people why they don’t share ideas a re-occurring response is that they have a concern they ‘will say the wrong thing’ or look foolish.   This further cements my belief that innovation can actually be quite easy if companies and organizations create the needed environment and culture to enable every person to, in effect, feel safe to present new and different perspectives.

For those of you out there that may have the concerns mentioned above, here are some examples of ideas that have been presented and actually acted upon.  If people can pitch this idea, you have nothing to worry about.

Gilligan’s Island.  Do I even need to go into any detail here?  The fact that many people can actually sing the theme song tells you something.  A few folks go out on a 3 hour tour and end up building their own little society on a deserted island.   As if this idea wasn’t ridiculous enough how about making a made for TV movie called The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan’s Island?  I couldn’t make this stuff up.  Here is description of the movie from Wikipedia:

“Villains played by Martin Landau and then-wife Barbara Bain try to take over the island to gain access to a valuable, but unknown substance. They are thwarted by the timely intervention of the Harlem Globetrotters.”

 The “timely intervention of the Harlem Globetrotters?” 

I wonder if the production meeting went something like this:

Person 1: “Hey, how about there are these really nasty and mean folks trying to take over the island.”
Person 2: “Yeah, maybe to get some type of unknown substance or something.”
Person 3: “But who will we get to stop them?”
Person 1: “Got it!  Who else but the Harlem Globetrotters!”
Person 2: “Brilliant! The Globetrotters are known for their ability so foil sinister plots with their basketball skills.  This is genius!”
TV executive: “How much money do you need?  Here, take a blank check.”

So the next time you are concerned about being laughed at, just think that Gilligan’s Island and three - yes three - movies based on the TV show, were actually funded and produced. 

Create the right culture for innovation and anything is possible.   No wonder the TV show Lost is so popular – it was done as a comedy 40 years ago!