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Terrence H. Seamon 
Terrence H. Seamon
Helping leaders and professionals achieve career goals while strengthening their resilience and well-being | Guiding executives, teams and professionals through challenging transitions to change
Published Sep 29, 2022
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Have you ever made pancakes? Sometimes the first pancake gets thrown away.
In Russia they say "The first pancake is a lump."
In France, "The first crepe is for the dog."
Why is the first pancake often so ugly that it gets tossed? Pancake experts say that there are some possible reasons, including the amount of butter being used, the temperature of the heating surface, and so on.
Perhaps the first one is a "tester." Once it is made, the next batches will be fine. And usually are.
In a recent leadership training program, the conversation was about encouraging employees to offer improvement ideas. The group, a senior leader team at a family-owned company, was a bit uncomfortable with the notion of encouraging employee ideas.
One manager said, "The first pancake gets thrown away oftentimes."
Another chimed in, "Sometimes that first one is wonky."
Indeed. The first ideas offered may be a bit wacky. But don't extinguish them! The process is just getting started.
Keep it going. The next batch may be golden!
About the author: Terrence "Terry" Seamon helps organizations to change and become places that bring out the best in people who work there.
Here We Are. Now What?
Here We Are. Now What?
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Gregory Morris
SVP Global Marketing, MBA, Specializing in B2B, B2C, & DTC Growth Strategies, Expert in Revenue, Lead Gen, Digital Transformation, Digital Marketing & AI Innovator. ROI optimization, Brand and GTM.
1y
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We must live in an alternate reality because when we make pancakes (or French Toast), no one throws any of them away. It's usually the one with the most butter. And, my kids (when they were younger loved getting the first one.It supports your article also. It might look funny. It might be wonky. Enjoy employee engagement. Once you start it - you might get a lot of golden pancakes! Don't worry about not using all of the ideas. And, I guess you can throw it away - but not at the Morris house. We'll munch on it.
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Mike Horne, Ph.D.
Empowering Innovation from Within: I Guide R&D Executives to Excellence
1y
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Loved the wisdom Terrence H. Seamon!
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Terrence H. Seamon
Helping leaders and professionals achieve career goals while strengthening their resilience and well-being | Guiding executives, teams and professionals through challenging transitions to change
1y
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Me too, Lynne.
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Lynne Williams, Ed.D. Candidate
ATS Resumes | LinkedIn™ Branding | Pivots & Reinventions | Keyword strategies to beat the bots | Data-driven decision-making | Strategic Job Search Guidance | Career Development | Techie Boomer Cheerleader
1y
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As they say Terrence H. Seamon - if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again! Now I’m craving pancakes! 🥞😋
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