New ideas matter—sometimes they really change your life.  I was a stray kitten, doing my best camouflage-self-in-shrubs routine to avoid the Animal Shelter van.  I had a wickedly adorable “meeuw” that got me noticed by Ethan Crawford, a teenage Shelter volunteer who happened to live in the neighborhood where I hung out.  We asked his parents if I may stay, but our great idea was quickly shot down. “We have had cats before and there is no way we have the time to mess with a litter box…sorry, but it just will not work.”

Being a cool cat, I know not to get discouraged if a human rejects my ideas.  Did you know only 2.5% of them are natural innovators?  That means most humans need to be shown why ideas can work and how a new process can make things run more smoothly.  Ethan and I wanted to change the old way of thinking about cat, um…deposits, to show his parents a more innovative solution.  I began making “contributions” into the guest facilities at the Crawford’s to prove our idea would work.  Once they were willing to accept a new way of thinking, I was adopted and no telling how much has been saved on cat litter expenses—because, frankly, who needs it?!

YOUR ideas are even more important than mine (because, let’s face it, I sleep 22 hours a day).  They will contribute to your and your employer’s growth and success. 
 
And…turns out employee engagement is pretty smart business. I recently overheard the results of a Gallup research study of ~1.4 million employees across 49 industries in 34 countries. It confirmed the well-established connection between employee engagement and high performing companies.  Engaged employees outperformed their counterparts by:
  • 10% on customer ratings,
  • 22% in profitability, and
  • 21% in productivity.
The study also showed engagement created less:
  • turnover (25% – 65%),
  • absenteeism (37%), and
  • safety incidents (48%). 
Even though my innovations have aptly given me the “best seat in the house”, I try to remain humble and help humans whenever possible.  Share your ideas today.  Who knows?!  It may actually change your life.