Sometimes, big shifts begin with small permissions. About a decade ago, one of our interns came up to me with a suggestion: “Have you heard of Slack?” she asked. I hadn’t. But it was free, she was enthusiastic and I saw no harm in letting her try it out. So I said, “Sure, give it a go.”

That one decision quietly changed how we work - and we haven’t looked back since.

At the time, we weren’t actively searching for a new way to communicate. We didn’t know we had a problem. We were sending internal emails all the time - short questions, lengthy replies - and assuming that was just how things had to be. But within a week of using Slack, I noticed something strange: I hadn’t sent a single internal email. Not one. It was a real revelation.

This wasn’t the result of a six-month procurement process or a strategic communications overhaul. It came from creating an environment where people feel free to suggest things - and trusted enough to run with them. It came from saying “yes” to trying something new, even if we hadn’t drawn up a detailed comparison table or reviewed six alternative products.

Of course, there are times when formal processes are essential - especially when data protection and budgets are at stake. But it’s worth asking: is there enough wriggle room in your organisation to experiment? To trial something low-risk without waiting for committee sign-off? Often, the act of trying a new tool can reveal problems (and opportunities) you didn’t know existed.

In our case, Slack didn’t just cut down our email volume - it sped up collaboration, made communication more transparent and brought our team closer together. All from one intern’s suggestion, acted on without fuss.

So the question is: what benefits could you unleash by allowing new ideas to be tried?

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