I recently stumbled across a profile on LinkedIn where, under the person’s name, their headline read, “Idea Person.”
Here’s the problem with a headline like that: Ideas are worthless.
Everyone has them – lots of them in fact. And most of them aren’t any good. Even great ideas are relatively worthless in and of themselves.
The value of ideas comes from putting them into action.
If you never do anything with an idea, it’s just another thought. A person who can create ideas and then execute them is worth his or her weight in gold.
Chris,
Don’t you think you are hard on the “headline”. I recall once, when I asked would a job posting for “Chief Happiness Officer” be “functionally” misleading. You did say, “its a cool title and works for you”.
Perhaps, the same rule applies and it works for the guy, since only he can convey what exactly he is trying to convince the audience. Matbe, the guy just wants to gain a “first strike” curiosity. It got your attention. It would help to enquire what he means by the headline. I am curious, too.
As for “unapplied” ideas being worthless, I am with you. However, I would not discount or discourage it’s usefullness as a prelude to future conversion into reality. It’s just like Innovation. You cannot achieve innovation without creativity. Creativity (that taps into divergent thinking) is all about ideas generation. One of the best tools used in encouraging ideas in the quality circle and problem solving is Brainstorming. hence, I would not put the creation of ideas, even, in and of themselves, as worthless.
In fact, there is a distinction being drawn between the Japanese management style and Western, in terms of how much leadership support is given to employee suggestions (ideas) for business and workplace improvement.
I myself am also an “idea person”, though I may not advertise it in my profile. But, in spirit, I live and enjoy the creative challenge of constantly bombarding my brains for ideas, (even if it’s whacko)on how it could be different.
I do not mind ideas generation. What I do mind, is ignoring a brilliant “potential” solution, when none has been put into action, thus far” towards improving a dead end deal or situation. In particular, I loathe at rejection of ideas, ignored on grounds of positional egoism.
We have been hearing a lot on Innovation being a CSF for future business sustenance. But, what is the significant change or shift that has been made in the organisation’s eco-systems, in particular to the workplace culture vis a vis autonomy and liberalisation, that breaks the mould to accomodate innovative cycle?. Was it Einstein who translated “Insanity is to do the same thing, the same way, over and over and expect a different result”.
I have a many ideas to transforming workplace innovation. The first revolutionary idea would be to establish an online “suggestion data bank” to capture as many ideas from the workforce. Then, leadership can boldly claim bragging rights to the flow of creativity and innovation at the workplace. We could do with evidence of leadership matching the talk by converting rhetoric “ideas” into reality.
I have a dream (an idea) I am working on.
Cheers
Yuva
Yuva,
Some great insights in that response, particularly around creating a workplace environment that makes it easy for innovation to flourish.
Part of me feels that the truly innovative find ways to get their ideas to market, internally or externally, even when organizations are willing to make it easy for them. But the organizations that will thrive in the next decade or 5 are the ones that make it easy for people at all levels to put their ideas in action.
Cheers!
Chris