What is safe for you to do at your work? Are you safe to spend some time thinking about innovation and experimenting with an idea? Can you “run it like you own it” in your current role? Is there encouragement to get involved in clubs, networking groups, events celebrating diversity? Can you be yourself at work?

Whatever seems like the safe way to act in order to stay employed and collecting a paycheck at your place of employment will likely have a pretty strong influence on the behavior of employees in that organization. Consider the effect that introducing Six Sigma as what the leadership of 3M wanted to push its people to follow as a rule, and the struggle to innovate that followed.

If you are in a company that makes you feel safe to innovate, a place that is more people oriented than task oriented, a place that lets you be yourself – take advantage of it (while it lasts)!