Case in point: My youngest daughter, age 5, dressed herself for Sunday School this week. She chose a Halloween costume (hooded, black velvet robe trimmed in silver) which she matched with a pair of black patent leather shoes with a rhinestone strap. From a five-year old child's perspective, she looked beautiful. From a mother's perspective, she wasn't suitably attired. However, as every parent learns in time, some battles are not worth fighting. So off to church she went and, of course, she received a lot of positive attention!

I should thank my daughter for helping me exercise my flexibility muscles. In my role as the CEO around here, I find that I must regularly release control and accept the glorious contributions of my team. Certainly it's important to communicate clear expectations. However, once those expectations are on the table, it's equally important to stand aside, let people generate creative solutions and figure out how to implement them. And if I release control, people will even initiate new ideas that far surpass what I have time to imagine or create myself.

I'm practicing every day some of these behaviors:

Breathe deeply when someone is presenting a new, untested idea.
Resist the temptation to say "no" immediately.
Say "yes" in your mind while listening.
Ask to hear more.
Give people the opportunity to explain fully.
Say "yes"right away to the elements of the idea that might work.
Ask to "sleep on it" before making a decision.
Give credit where credit is due (rather than co-opting the idea as your own).

With these practices, even control freaks like me can collaborate with the smart people around them!