IMAGINATION WINS PROMOTION

Doctor F. L. Wells reported to the American Association of Applied and Professional Psychologist the result of his study of a high salaried group of people in comparison with a group of average salary. In four intelligence test, these two groups rated about equal in all respect except one- creativity. Those who had climbed higher were the ones who could think up more things to do and more ways to doing the. As Montaigne wrote: "A strong imagination begetteth opportunity."
That seems obvious enough, but "lamentably enough," said Victor Wagner, "every day, several million young men resign themselves to sterile drudgery by thoughtlessly or blandly defaulting, the marvellous faculty of imagination."
In any phase of business, many promotion is based on demonstrative creativeness. The head of a big firm was about to retire. He had seven able assistants. When asked how he picked his successor, he replied: "Year after year, on of my aides had sent me frequent memos which usually began, "This may sound screwy but…!" or ‘Maybe you've thought of this, but…!" Even though many of his ideas were trivial, I finally decided that he was the man to succeed me, because this business would dry up without a leader who believes in ideas, and has the gumption to spout plenty of his own."
George Morrison, President of the General Banking Company, had to select an executive vice-president. He picked 60-year-old Thomas Olsen, an accountant. I asked Mr. Morison why. "Because he thinks young. He always has an idea," replied Mr. Morrison.
In days of old many employee was pushed ahead by relatives who owned the business or by bankers who financed it; but that royal road is a rarity nowadays. In nearly every case the man who now rises toward the top is propelled by two forces:
1. His superiors want to pull him up to work with them because they need his help.
2. His immediate associates want to shove him up because they believe in him and like him. If he lacks creative energy his superiors won't covet him. If he lacks vicarious imagination, his associates won't cotton to him.
It's a rare employee who can envision his firm's need for economy. A company president who is personally open-handed recently complained to me: "During the course of the year I have hundreds of request from our people for this or that expenditure, but hardly anyone ever comes to me with a suggestion as to how we could save money." Just think how favourable one of his young men could make him self stand out by thinking up some money-saving ideas!
It strains imagination but little to think up ways to find things out; and yet the failure to do just that has held back many an employee. A Sears, Roebuck executive recently remarked to me: "We take on the brightest minds we can find, but too often our new employees are helpless when called upon for something beyond their routine. They seem to have no inkling as to how to go about looking up this or that." Thus many a boss hungers for more ingenuity on the part of his people.
Carl E. Holmes, business consultant, believes that most employees stand still because of their create shortcoming. "God gave us imagination," says Mr. Holmes, "and imagination can be the most potent force in our lives, yet few use it constructively…knowledge is a good thing, industry is a good thing, but imagination is miracle worker.

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