This short stack of used sticky notes contains, without exaggeration, tens of millions of dollars in good ideas. I wouldn’t classify them as “great” or “revolutionary” ideas. Not rocket science. Most, fairly basic.
Yet, if these ideas were acted upon, they would drive tens of millions of dollars of business for the people who thunk them up.
The team figured out what we need to do. They’ve identified the right ingredients for success. Not a bad outcome for a half-day of brainstorming and less than $20 in supplies.
With that said, however, coming up with the right, bright ideas was the easy part.
It will require discipline to figure out HOW we will do it.
The greatest ideas in the world are of little value unless action is taken to implement them. Without action, ideas are mere intention.
The team who created the ideas needs to convert them into programs. Members need to delegate goals, assign tasks to the appropriate departments, set expectations and timelines.
This HOW step isn’t that much more difficult than the WHAT step. And ROI for figuring out HOW is incredible. Nevertheless, HOW is where companies get distracted, bogged down and stalled.
It is exciting to understand the potential in this stack of papers. All the ingredients are in there. To materialize the millions of dollars, the chef needs to gather the cooks and follow or create a recipe. They need to follow or build their HOW.
- What do you do to drive action in your business?
- What process or steps do you use?
- How does your chef pull together the cooks?
- How do you HOW?
Tags: Leadership, marketing plan, take action
The first step I usually require is that the team identify the ONE idea it wants to focus on first. It almost doesn’t matter which one they select; it’s bound to be one of the good ones. They know the business and they know what they can and can’t do.
The discussion around which idea to select, and knowing who supports each one and why, has value in itself, and it moves the whole team closer to being motivated to develop the HOW.
I agree! The “what” is easy with some good creative brainstorming but mapping out the “how” steps is a whole different ballgame. That is why strategy and a good business plan with actionable goals is the secret to success!
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