The ever common debate is "What is more important -- the idea or the execution?" I have recently come on the side of action.
I have never found the idea part difficult. If you are a student of business, you can find inspiration all around you. Read the business media. Go to conferences. Good ideas are everywhere.
Once you have an idea, you have all sorts of internal hurdles to get past. Will it work? Will anyone like it? What if someone else does the same thing? Suddenly you find yourself in the decision death spiral, analysis paralysis, and all that stuff.
Let's say you can get past all the self-doubt. You still have quite a few decisions ahead of you. How big is it going to be? What color are you going to make? Are you going to offer fries what that? Chances are you don't have the time or all the knowledge you need.
That means you need some people to help. They need to feel comfortable in the big chair. They need to feel comfortable confronting you when you are about to make a bad choice. Most importantly, they need feel as responsible for the success of the project as you do.
All this going on has a point. Really.
Talk is cheap. Nothing happens until you make a decision and take some action.
Start tomorrow and do something. Move something forward that you have been thinking about for a long time. This is the push you have been looking for.
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Recent Comments | 6 Total
August 10, 2005 at 2:13am by Chris Busch
I agree. When someone tells me they are an "idea person," that usually means they want to come up with ideas for others to execute. And, it's at that point in the conversation I begin to glaze over.
Idea people are of limited value. People who can execute are the cream. And, because of their experience implementing ideas, they come up with some great ones of their own. Maybe more importantly, executors sift ideas well so that only the best ones ever cross their lips.
August 10, 2005 at 8:37am by Don The Idea Guy
I disagree. Mostly.
As a person branded as "Don The Idea Guy", I could hardly agree with the Chris Busch's statement of "idea people [being] of limited value."
Execution IS of paramount importance, but implementation without a novel idea is action without direction. Didn't Lewis Carroll say something in 'Alice in Wonderland' along the lines of "if you don't know where you want to be, it hardly matters which direction you take"?
The Idea Guy (or Gal) can help choose a worthy destination for the person's motivation for implementation. Meaning, the Idea Person may not always need to be the one who executes their own ideas -- it's more important (and of higher value) to find the execution person(s) who best match with the idea itself.
William Feather said "An idea isn't worth much until a [person] is found who has the energy and ability to make it work."
I just don't believe that person always is (or should be!) the same person who came up with the idea in the first place.
August 10, 2005 at 9:07am by Jim Canterucci
Bravo Todd! Action and initiative need more consideration in the innovation discussion. The key I think is to bring the idea and action together. Yes some people (like you) find coming up with the idea easy and others find implementation easier.
In reference to Don The Idea Guy's comment, I'm not sure the idea person has to be the implementation person but the idea person should worry about implementation - participate in the planning, be comfortable that the vision is maintained.
Chris, clearly implementation specialists are not duds in the idea department.
Balance, balance, balance
August 10, 2005 at 10:06am by Laura
A good idea comes from someone's life experience - their intellect - so it does not have an explicit price tag attached. A risk does not have to be taken before someone can come up with an idea.
Implementing the idea, on the other hand, comes with easily defined costs; money and risk.
Let's not forget too, that those implementing the ideas get to chose which ideas to execute.
Seems it's better to have the means to execute ideas (money, energy, willingness to take risk) than it is to just have ideas. The real prize goes to those who have both.
August 14, 2005 at 4:21pm by Rick Stamm
Actually, you are all correct. Innovation, taking an idea to the marketplace, is a team sport with four distinct roles - Creator, Advancer, Refiner and Executor. Remove any one of them and you reduce the chance of success. The key to harmony within the team is to know where you are in the process and help all the players respect and value each other's contribution.
So, find your team and have fun!
August 18, 2005 at 9:11am by Christelle
Juste ce petit commentaire d'une bloggeuse française ;)) André Malraux disait au sujet des idées : 'Les idées ne sont pas faites pour être pensées mais pour être vécues'. If I try to translate it the result is : the ideas are not made to be thought but to be lived ;))