Tell me something I don't know

I was watching the Chris Matthews Show on Sunday morning and heard something he does each week, but this time from a different perspective.

Chris ends his program each week by asking his panel to "tell me something I don't already know."

Tough assignment. Matthews is one of the sharpest guys on TV and there probably isn't much he doesn't already know.

Washington politics is a group sport and there isn't much an insider like Matthews hasn't heard. However, the members of his panel were in a position to give their host a different spin on the prevailing conventional wisdom of the day and offering a fresh perspective brings something of value to the table.

What he should say each week is, "give me a fresh perspective on something I already know."

Suggestion: Greet your management team at this week's meeting with the request for them to give you a different spin on something you already know.

While you're going around the room, pay attention to those who tell you what they think you want to hear and to those who give you genuinely valuable fresh perspectives. Doing so might help you increase profits by eliminating people who aren't contributing something you don't already have.