NASCAR's 'Newman Bar' Proves The Power of Innovative Ideas

Ryan Newman may have helped save his own life at the Daytona 500 by pushing for a new NASCAR safety feature in 2009 that became known as the 'Newman bar'

—Barnaby Lane, Business Insider: https://www.businessinsider.com/ryan-newman-crash-safety-bar-named-after-him-saved-life-2020-2

After reading the article above about how Ryan Newman potentially saved his own life by pushing for an added NASCAR safety feature in 2009, I am reminded of the power of innovation—specifically how innovative ideas come to be. They start small, and can grow from one person(s) concept—to a live-saving innovation.

While NASCAR R&D technically developed the new safety bar, the innovation process began when Newman decided to use his voice to inspire change. Newman experienced a horrible accident in 2009 and instead of quitting—Newman leveraged his experience and expertise to formulate a safer way to continue doing his job. Newman’s courage and persistent efforts demonstrate that innovation can start by a single employee speaking up and vocalising his/her ideas to improve what they do and/or how they do it.

There is no better expert on your day-to-day job, than you! When you take the time to speak up, you automatically stand out—because it shows you care about what you do. There is no better form of showing employee engagement than being a forward-thinking, caring, proactive employee. For this reason alone, innovative ideas are always worth sharing, whether they come to fruition or not.

Newman exemplifies how each of us can individually contribute new, fresh ideas just by have the confidence to vocalise them. From there, the contributions of different team members can build and add on to make what started out as an idea—an innovative product or process.

The next time you find a solution to business problem—or even personal—remember the impact you can make by sharing it with your manager or in a meeting etc…And for Managers—remember to cultivate a culture where your employees are encouraged and celebrated to think of and share their ideas. Challenge yourself and each other to leverage the expertise, strengths, and creativity each individual brings to the team. Innovation cannot exist simply doing things the way they have always been done.

In Newman’s case, Newman, NASCAR, and NASCAR R&D worked together as a team to create a life-saving safety feature, the ‘Newman Bar.’ Kudos to everyone involved in that process—inspiring work, and a job more than well done!

Shannon Theobald is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor / Motivational Speaker / Private Coach based in New Jersey. Shannon is passionate about helping others, and enjoys working with clients in a clinical capacity, as well as, a private coach/motivational speaker. To learn more about Shannon's professional interests and expertise, please visit her website: lemonadeandlove.com