I’ve always been a bit different.

The stench of sweat, mothballs and fear permeated the room as the timer went off and the instructor said, “Go!” It was our final locker inspection for my graduation from boot camp and we all needed to pass in order to move on to the next “adventure.” 80 sweaty, stinky, and desperate men sped to get all the items from their locker folded and stowed within millimeters of what had been given to us as the standard.

Through the cloud of anxiety, flurry of dripping sweat, and flying clothes, my Company Commander (a Navy version of a Drill Instructor) looked over and said, “LUTZ!? What are you doing!?” Yes, it looked crazy, but from the (what seemed like) thousands of items that needed to be put away, I had taken my skivvies (underwear) and placed them on the top of my head like a hat to keep them out of the way until I was ready to stow them. I replied sheepishly, “Sir, it keeps them out of the way!” He cocked his head, looked at me confused and then said, “Okay, if it works, DO IT!” At that moment, I looked around and saw 80% of my teammates throwing their “tighty whities” on their head in an effort to achieve the goal. We, as a team, passed our inspection and moved to the next challenges that were put before us.

Different can be good.  But it’s not human nature.  We, as humans, love our routines.  We also love our policies, plans, and procedures.  There is a certain comfort in knowing what is coming next, isn’t there?  But history is littered with companies (and people) who got comfortable and then lost their competitive advantage.

Do you want to stay competitive?  The future belongs to those who be innovative in their leadership and push their teams to different.  It is as easy as:

Changing your thoughts

• Look at it different.  Pull the team together and look at the problem with fresh eyes.  If this were the first time you were looking at it, what would you see?

• Reverse engineer the problem.  Start at the end and work your way back.

• Ask yourselves the big “WHAT IF?”  What if this isn’t the case?  If it’s not, anything could be a possibility.

Changing your actions

• Actually switch up how you do something.  Sounds novel, eh?  It’s not brain surgery but, like I said, we love our routines.  Do it different and get a different result.

• Don’t be afraid to make a mistake or look like a fool.  We are sometimes so worried about fitting in that we miss the opportunity to make a mistake.  Yes, an opportunity.

Like I stated, different can be good.  It spurs innovation and creativity…the two elements that are needed in today’s work world to stay competitive.  You don’t have to put your underwear on your head to be different but, if it helps, GO FOR IT!