I'd like to take exception to this and suggest it be reworded. If an employee has an idea, listen! Only then can you decide whether it has any merit. You need to be open to ideas and you need to show your employees that you are. You want to encourage that dialogue. And that means you also need to feedback. If the idea is going nowhere let them know and explain why. If it's a good idea reward them even if it's only with praise. If the idea is good, but not something you can act on immediately then make sure you put it somewhere safe, with all the other ideas you intend to implement one day and again let the employee know that's what you are doing. A good management / employee relationship is no different to a marriage; you need to openly communicate and foster a relationship that supports this. By Rob Kellock, Avoca Beach, NSW