How to Make Sure Only Your Good Ideas Are Acted On

There are many benefits to being the boss, but one of the major drawbacks is that your subordinates may not always be honest with you. In an effort to seem agreeable, they may say "yes" when they are thinking "no." Or they may naively assume that since you are smart enough to be the boss, your ideas are always going to be good ones.

Sure, your ideas were important in starting your business. But it was your tenacity that made it happen. Trust your experience, but acknowledge that some of the ideas you get now may need a little fine-tuning.

Don't let anyone tell you how smart you are. Surround yourself with the best people and encourage them to treat your ideas as you treat theirs -- with enough respect to CHALLENGE them.

If your key people are not regularly challenging your ideas -- if they tend to defer to you -- take responsibility for having turned them into cheerleaders. Sit them down. Apologize, and ask for their support in the future. Then discuss how the group could best evaluate new ideas.

Your business will prosper. And you won't have to worry about wasting time, resources, and possibly big money pursuing bad ideas -- even if they are yours.

In today's issue, Brian Tracy reminds us that every encounter has the potential to change our lives forever. And I talk about something you're doing that could be slowly killing your business... and why you should never say ASAP.