After nearly three decades as an operating manager and another 25 years helping others improve their workplaces, I’ve learned a thing or two about where good ideas come from and how to encourage employee creativity. I’ve hosted plenty of webinars on idea systems: suggestion boxes, empowerment, evaluating and rewarding ideas, and more. But for a change of pace, this dispatch is less about systems and more about the people behind the ideas, particularly adults in the workplace.