Ellis Communications, Inc.

NEWS STORY

Don’t Stand In Your Own Way With Mental Traps;
Telecoms Benefit When Employees Let Creativity Flow

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE              CONTACT: Tom Ellis
Sep. 11, 2003                                Ellis Communications, Inc.
                                                      Phone: (417) 881-5635

      Are you standing in your own way?

      “Sometimes, we gain more - as well as the telecom we work for and its customers - if we can think outside our box and recognize ideas and thoughts that may actually be limiting or restricting our abilities,” says David Saxby, president of Phoenix-based Measure-X, a company that specializes in helping telephone companies improve their customer service and sales. “Everyone benefits when a telecom’s employees use their creativity to improve customer service and boost revenues.”

      Saxby suggests telecom employees might understand the benefits of creativity if they ask themselves what if:

      -- I could discover an entirely new source of profits, previously overlooked?
      -- I could multiply productivity through great new ideas and solutions?
      -- I and my co-workers generated so many great ideas that progress seemed \ almost effortless?
      -- Problems never overwhelmed me because a multitude of creative solutions are easily accessible?
      -- I could visualize opportunities where there appear to be none?
      Saxby suggests the following may be areas where telecom employees stand in their own way.

      If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It. You can’t be successful today if you’re only fixing what’s broken, Saxby says. “Find ways to turn ‘good’ into ‘great.’ Constantly look for ways to improve and seek out innovative solutions. Don’t be satisfied with something that’s simply ‘not broken.’”

      I’m Too Busy to Re-invent What’s Already Working Fine. “Highly successful people have learned the key to success is building in time - every day - to think and innovate,” Saxby says. “Encourage your staff to do the same.”

      Everybody Finds Fault With Any Different or Unconventional Ideas. Most organizations, both large and small, place the highest value on creativity and innovation, Saxby points out. “Expect to be criticized at times, though. It goes with the territory. But the potential rewards are so great you can’t afford to get caught in the conformity trap.”

      I Can’t Afford to Make A Mistake. Sometimes a new idea may not end up being the best idea. View these situations as opportunities for improvement. “Identify what worked well and what did not,” Saxby says. “Then make adjustments. Learn to welcome failure.”

      Finally, to help telecom management assess their openness to creativity and their ability to tap into it, Saxby suggests they ask themselves the following questions with a yes or no response and then tally up the answers.

      -- Do we encourage our staff to generate new ideas?
      -- Do I put problems into a positive perspective?
      -- Does our staff have a clear understanding of our goals and priorities?
      -- Is our environment conducive to creativity?
      -- Does my work group generate ideas together?
      -- Do we thoroughly evaluate ideas and alternatives before committing?
      -- Are good ideas moving toward reality and not languishing or “on hold”?
      -- Are we looking for new sources of profit or revenue?  

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For more information on Measure-X, call 888-644-5499 or visit its Web site at www.measure-x.com.

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