As professionals, our brains are constantly spinning. They rarely stop. It isn’t uncommon to find us startled awake at three in the morning with a new idea. That is just how we operate. What many people don’t understand, though, is that each of our ideas, even if they seem ludicrous, are our way of working through a problem. You can’t work through a problem without taking note of every possible solution to fix it. Don’t discount your ideas!
I poke around Pinterest for ways that we can improve the customer experience or take note of ideas that come to me while I’m at work. Recently, I noticed a client that was looking for a phone charger. Luckily, he had one in his car and brought it into the office to charge his phone. Having a dead phone as a realtor or loan officer can be compared to a plumber showing up with no tools. After noticing the situation, an idea popped into my head about providing a charging station at all of our offices, so that anybody could grab a charge if they needed to. We found a great charging station and various charger cords for all phone types on Amazon, and it’s been a huge hit!
What should you do if you’re overcome with an idea?
- Keep a notebook nearby to write down your thought.
- Even if it doesn’t sound like a great one, write down every idea that comes to mind.
- Share your ideas with a colleague or peer, because even if it doesn’t help you, it could help someone else.
Never think to yourself, “Oh that is a bad idea. I can’t believe I thought that was valuable.” Believe in yourself, folks! The first step to proving that you are successful is to believe it yourself. It’s also good to remind yourself that you can’t make a change if you don’t share your ideas with others.