Making Ideas Happen

Making Ideas Happen

Scott Belsky

MAKING IDEAS HAPPEN = (THE IDEA) + ORGANIZATION AND EXECUTION
+ FORCES OF COMMUNITY + LEADERSHIP CAPABILITY

A surplus of ideas is as dangerous as a drought. The tendency to jump from idea to

idea to idea spreads your energy horizontally rather than vertically.

Recognizing the tendency to bask in idea generation is the first step toward managing
your energy to ensure a tangible outcome.

Every project in life can be reduced into these three primary components. Action
Steps are the specific, concrete tasks that inch you forward: redraft and send the memo,
post the blog entry, pay the electricity bill, etc. References are any project-related
handouts, sketches, notes, meeting minutes, manuals, Web sites, or ongoing
discussions that you may want to refer back to. It is important to note that References
are not actionable—they are simply there for reference when focusing on any particular
project. Finally, there are Backburner Items—things that are not actionable now but
may be someday. Perhaps it is an idea for a client for which there is no budget yet. Or
maybe it is something you intend to do in a particular project at an unforeseen time in the
future.


As we move further along the trajectory of execution, we are liable to get lost in the
“project plateau.” We know we’re on the plateau when we are overwhelmed with Action
Steps and can see no end in sight. Our energy and commitment—and thus a willingness
to tolerate the sometimes painful process of execution—are naturally high only when an
idea is first conceived. The honeymoon period quickly fades as Action Steps pile up and
compete with our other ongoing commitments. Our ideas become less interesting as we
realize the implied responsibilities and sheer amount of work required to execute them.

Another factor that discourages action is
fear. We have a fear of rejection or premature judgment. Many novelists and other artists
admit that they are sitting on half-baked projects that have not been shared with anyone
because they’re “just not ready yet.” But what if one never really feels ready?

Sometimes, to delay action even longer, we resort to bureaucracy. Bureaucracy was
born out of the human desire for complete assurance before taking action. When we
don’t want to take action, we find reasons to wait. We use “waiting” nicknames like
“awaiting approval,” “following procedures,” “further research,” or “consensus building.”

Levitation relies on pulleys, floating dollars need thread, and
the disappearing coin depends on hidden pockets; all of the most remarkable tricks
have the most “obvious” explanations.

Most ideas come and go while the matter of follow-up is left to chance.

An unowned Action Step will never be taken

When you’re not given constraints, you must seek them. 


the three broad categories of creatives:
 the Dreamers, the Doers, and the polymaths who we call the Incrementalists.


Dreamers always generate new ideas, often jump from one new business idea to another. Even within an existing business, they are always imagining something new. The Dreamers in
the not-for-profit world are idealists—and they are likely to become engaged in new
projects at the expense of completing current ones.
Dreamers are fun to be around, but they struggle to stay focused. In their idea frenzy,
they are liable to forget to return phone calls, complete current projects, even pay the
rent. While Dreamers are more likely than anyone to conceive of brilliant solutions, they
are less likely to follow through. Some of the most successful Dreamers we have met
attribute their success to a partnership with a Doer.


Doers get frustrated when, while brainstorming, there is no consideration
for implementation. Doers often love new ideas, but their tendency is to immerse
themselves in the next steps needed to truly actualize an idea. While Dreamers will
quickly fall in love with an idea, Doers will start with doubt and chip away at the idea until
they love it (or, often, discount it). As Doers break an idea down, they become action oriented
organizers and valuable stewards. 

 Incrementalists—those with the ability to play the role of both
Dreamer and Doer. Incrementalists shift between distinct phases of dreaming and
doing. When imagination runs amok in the Dreamer phase, the Incrementalist begins to
feel impatient. The developing sense of impatience brings on the Doer phase, and the
idea at hand is pushed into execution. And when the time comes to pull back and dream
again, the return is a welcome relief from being buried in the managerial mind-set. Thus,
an Incrementalist is able to bask in idea generation, distill the Action Steps needed, and then push ideas into action with tenacity.

Feedback is a sobering tool


One best practice for feedback is to encourage leaders to send an e-mail to each
person on their team—as well as to key clients—requesting a few feedback points for
each participant under the headings START, STOP, and CONTINUE. Each recipient is asked to share a few things that each of their colleagues and clients should START, STOP, and CONTINUE doing.


Leadership development is experiential. Through trial and error, good times and bad,
we gradually become better leaders—but only if we are self-aware enough to notice
when and why we falter


Every creative effort has a project plateau where momentum is most often lost.


Success usually has more to do with dumb determination than with genius.

Ideas never get made unless everyone makes it their business to do so.


Measuring work by time spent working is seductive, because it’s easy and objective. 
But doing so defies the realities of the creative work flow and will ultimately damage morale.
In reality, ideas are made to happen in spurts. The pressure of being required to sit at your desk until a certain time creates a factory-like culture that ignores a few basic laws of idea generation and human nature:
(1) When the brain is tired, it doesn’t work well,
(2) Idea generation happens on its ownterms, and 
(3) When you feel forced to execute beyond your capacity, you begin to hate what you are doing.



ROWE (Results Only Work Environment), which measures performance based on output rather than sit-put

In one study conducted by Gallup Inc. reported in BusinessWeek, productivity in departments at Best Buy that had adopted the ROWE program was up an average of 35 percent, along with a marked increase in employee satisfaction. It turns out that people thrive when their judgment and autonomy are respected.
Workplace flexibility can be a tricky conundrum—while


Our ability to extinguish new ideas is critical to productivity and to our capacity to scale existing projects. In a team setting, the skeptics—the ones who always question ideas first rather than falling in love with them
—are the white blood cells. The skeptics keep us functioning and help us stay on track. While our natural tendency may be to not hire, engage with, or empower those with an inclination to poke holes in our ideas, these people are in fact essential to a productive creative environment. As Michael Crooke, president and CEO of outdoor apparel company Patagonia, proudly proclaimed at a Wharton West conference, “The people closest to me are all naysayers.” As you cultivate your team’s immune system, you will want to differentiate between skeptics and cynics. Cynics cling to their doubts and are often unwilling to move away
from their convictions. By contrast, skeptics are willing to embrace something new—they
are just wary and critical at first. Though they are often undervalued, skeptics are an essential component of a healthy team, and leaders should cultivate their respect and influence.


if the advocates for A just give up, then B becomes the default answer without any better solution being discovered in between.


If the members of your team have the fortitude to advocate for their perspectives while respectfully considering those of others, then the breakthrough will reveal itself.


leadership is not about making people do things. Leadership is about instilling
a genuine desire in the hearts and minds of others to take ownership of their work on a
project. Only then can we act together, motivated by a shared purpose.


people only obsess about ideas when they feel a sense of ownership




Self-awareness is a critical skill in leadership, but it is deeply personal. It is not about our actions but about the emotions that trigger our actions.