Former PIMCO chief executive Bill Thompson — believing good ideas come from anywhere within the organization — one day created a CEO suggestion box and encouraged employees to contribute their best thinking.

Eric Mogelof, who had only been with PIMCO for about two years at the time, took Thompson at his word and submitted a suggestion that PIMCO change the way it recruits and trains talent at the firm.

“I wrote up a suggestion, put it in the box, and literally a day later I got an email asking me to sit down face-to-face with the CEO,” Mogelof recalls. “He asked me a bunch of questions, put me through the ringer and then said, ‘Hey, Eric, this is a great idea. You are in charge of the initiative.’”

Thompson then explained the resources Mogelof would have at his disposal to execute the plan.

The CEO finished the meeting by saying, “Oh, and by the way, in a month you’re going to present to the entire firm at an all-staff meeting.”