Solving leadership problems by going to the zoo: the pull of diverse experiences

Being confronted with a diversity of thinking can break up the old models in our head and open new pathways to innovation. In health care, it is extremely important to be exposed to very different situations that can potentially create very different answers for us; hence the trip to the zoo, to a factory known for quality outcomes, or other venues that will open new vistas in our mind. Anytime we try to do something that worked in the last 5 years, we are flirting with disaster. Health care is constantly changing and if we attempt to cover the present with the templates of the past, we will fail. Immersing people in situations where they can share openly with very diverse people and ideas will create the culture consistent with behaviors that eagerly engage in seeking diverse answers to the issues of the future.