Ideas generate enthusiasm for work. And sometimes that enthusiasm can get us in trouble, just like our hero. One of the greatest motivators for work is psychic reward from the job environment. People get turned on when they have opportunities to introduce ideas. If a company just allows ideas to happen, profits will follow.

In the War on Waste, Mr. Grimes is making Roland uncomfortable because he has his own personal agenda that he is protecting and it is gradually getting exposed as keeping sales from rolling in to the company. In most cases of people trying to protect their Tribal Knowledge, when you begin to post measurements of productivity or sales results or any metric for all to see, the underlying secrets of Tribal Knowledge get exposed and become vetted. Employees don’t mind giving up their undocumented processes to the company, in exchange for recognition of their contribution to an idea that eliminates a waste of $100,000. When they stand up before the CEO while delivering their proposal, they do so with great pride as a member of a team that is helping the company survive. Enjoy. Len Bertain