khj-new-girl-blogAbout a month ago, I was the new girl here at KHJ. Do you remember being the new kid in school? Trying to find your way around a new building? Your eyes open widely taking in everything around you?

I am the new Chief Marketing Officer here at KHJ Brand Activation and so far, so good. I haven’t suffered from “foot in my mouth” issues nor have I shown up at the office with two mismatched shoes. I’d say I am off to a good start.  

What I am uniquely able to bring to the table these first few weeks are a fresh set of eyes that can only happen upon a new entrance. I am not bogged down yet by the day-to-day and my plate is not full of immediate client needs. I can take all of this in without the “beige-look” that you sometimes see once you have been in an organization for awhile. There has been validation of the wonder that lives within the colorful walls here. I am also able to see opportunities for enhanced efficiency and collaboration. This is an exciting time.

It is important for us all to welcome fresh eyes to the table. Fresh eyes can be the catalyst that may bring new innovations, efficiencies and creativity to the forefront and can help to rethink a product or service and how it shows up thus creating new opportunities. Fresh eyes also validate the good things that are already there.

3 Simple Ways you can add “fresh eyes” without going “outside” your organization

  1. Meeting Shake Up. Include members of your organization that have never been part of the ideation process. Consider including people that work on different areas of the organization as well as inviting varying levels within the organization.
  2. Think Differently. Try a new approach to solve a problem. We can get mired in the “way we do things”. When the team comes together, try a whole different approach to tackling an issue.
  3. New Employee Onboarding. After a new employee has been part of the organization for two weeks, bring them into your office and ask them for candid insight. What are they seeing and hearing and what ideas do they have for the team?

As humans we are creatures of habit. We need some encouragement and perspective in order to break the habits that cause us to be unable to work up to our potential. We all want to be the best people, do the best work and have the best time doing it as we possibly can but in order to do that, we often need a fresh set of eyes.