#808 spare nothing

I have been driving (and loving) my car for nine years, but over the weekend I took the plunge and bought a new vehicle.  A lot of things have changed on cars between the 2005 and 2015 models; I felt like I needed a computer programming course before I could drive my car home.  My friend said that the new car has "more technology than Neil Armstrong enjoyed" and it certainly felt like that was true.

But what surprised me the most was what the car didn't have.  For one: a key.  It has this fancy new "fob" that just has to be in the vicinity of the car for it to operate.  But most interesting to me is that my new car does not have a spare tire.  Not a "donut" tire or a full sized one -- none.  Instead, it has a fancy little compressor box with a fix-a-flat attached to it.  Let's hope I never need it, because it, too, looks like a miniature computer that will require lessons to operate.

Ever since Henry Ford, keys and spare tires were standard operating equipment on nearly every car ever built.  Until now.  The dealer said that it was done in an effort to reduce weight, thus increase speed and fuel efficiency.  

Think about the assumptions you make in your organization. Instead of trying to make a smaller tire, could you eliminate tires all together?  Are there things you have had since forever that maybe you really don't need anymore?  There is no longer anything out there that is a "must-have".  Start your thinking with a truly blank slate and see what creative alternatives you can develop.

-- beth triplett
leadershipdots.blogspot.com

@leadershipdots
leadershipdots@gmail.com

Standard issue 2015 trunk contents: