The Glass Evelator is a concept that is introduced in the book, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" and continued in its sequal "Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator". Both books were written by Roald Dahl. If you are aren't familiar with the Glass Elevator concept, I encourage you to watch this short clip from the original movie.

If you could move your venture in any direction you could quickly adapt to change and explore many possibilities. Many businesses fail to see these other dimensions and directions. They accept the elevator can only go up and down. You may even have heard of startups that are so focused on the elevator going up, they assume it can't even go down. This is limited thinking and causes stagnation in both your business model and employees.

You must encourage creativity, divergent thinking, and asking questions. This is actually very simple; All you need to do is allow the following activities to happen naturally and support them. Accomplishing this task includes making it a priority in your company culture and through personal feedback. Great ideas can come from anyone.

It is rare for a startup venture to ride a straight path to success. The path that is usually charted would look more like that of a maze. You may experience seeing a dead end and need to double back. Perhaps you feel that your startup is involved in a game of Chutes and Ladders, revisiting an idea you've already had after pursuing it. Keep in mind this is part of the journey and that it should be celebrated.

The path to the top is more of a squiggle than a straight line. If you look at a vertical line in two dimensions, it may appear that it is perfectly straight. However, adding a third dimension may prove that the line was irregular or curved. Allow yourself and your team to believe your elevator (startup) can move in many directions.

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