#21: Throw down a challenge

I must start by saying that my husband, Alan, is the king of Principle 21.  He is constantly throwing down the challenge to Tyler, our two-year old son.  It usually involves some sort of competition.  "Tyler, I'll race you to the potty!" Or "Tyler, I bet I can eat a bigger bite of this orange than you." And the list goes on.  I wish you all could see the results in person.  It usually consists of a two-year old blur running across our house.  The proof is in the pudding, my friends!

Recently, I decided to put this principle to work (literally).  I have a great group of colleagues who help me plan our firm's audit training calendar each year.  This spring we decided that the best way to choose necessary topics was to go straight to the source and ask people what they wanted/needed.  The only problem was when we've asked for input in the past the results have been slim to none.  I added a simple line to the end of my e-mail message this time: "We are challenging you to send us ideas and we look forward to seeing the results!"

The results were a half dozen substantive, extremely helpful responses.  Quite the improvement from zero!  And now we have a full audit training calendar to show for it.

So whether it's with your children or your coworkers, throw down the challenge.  And watch the results come running in!