Skinning Cats & Hat Racks

I often reflect on growing up thinking about how my dad helped mold me into the person I am today.  I fondly remember him saying many times… "There is more than one way to skin a cat."  One of his other favorite sayings was "C'mon, Ed, use your head for more than a hat rack." 

My dad is a wise man; and his advice to me as a child still guides my actions today.  

If you stop to think about the messages contained in these idioms, they most certainly apply in the business world as well as in our personal lives.  There is more than one way to skin a cat… be innovative. Think outside the box.  Adjust your Focus Frame and think of alternatives rather than just the standard 'either-or.'  You do not have to do it the same way everyone else does.  Differentiate yourself from the crowd. 

And use your head for more than a hat rack... think, look for ways to improve how you do things.  What's your idea? 

My dad is a Chevy guy, however, I know he would agree with what Henry Ford once said, "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."

The great companies challenge and change their Focus Frame while inviting the spirit of empowered thinking. 

If you are not the lead dog, the view never changes.