Good Ideas

“Ideas are worthless without the execution; execution is pointless without the ideas.”

–  Gary Vaynerchuk

Need for Good Ideas

Today’s cultural trend suggests that good ideas mean nothing and that total success is found in executing an idea.

A little critical thinking shows the fallacy of those who suggest this.

Sure, once an idea is formed, its success depends on the execution.  A great idea will become nothing without the work to implement it.

But, a bad idea, or no idea at all, comes to nothing despite all the hard work and execution in the world.

Everything starts with a good idea.

Good Ideas

Being an entrepreneur or a small business owner is all about having ideas—good ideas, crazy ideas, bad ideas, old ideas, unbelievable ideas.

This is where innovation comes from.  You see something that doesn’t work right, is poorly served, or is inefficient—and you dream of a way to solve it.  See a need and meet it.  Find where the pain exists and relieve it.

Sure, the idea must be workable.  And it requires research to see who had a similar idea before, who else is attempting to solve the same problem, and what has previously failed.  But everything begins with a good idea.

Generate Good Ideas

It’s not hard to come up with ideas.

What’s hard is to develop the habits that enable you to consistently come up with great ideas.

Here are several thoughts on ways to improve your ability to generate valuable ideas.

1. Consider what you consume. The books, TV shows, articles, movies you consume, the people you interact with, and your experiences all influence the ideas you generate. If you consume junk, you can’t expect to create quality.
2. Regurgitate what you consume. Exposing yourself to valuable ideas is only half the battle. The process of communicating an idea you’ve originated in different formats — speaking, writing, and condensing it —forces you to absorb the concept more profoundly.
3. Think macro. Zoom your perspective out to a macro level and discover ways it relates to other things you’re trying to brainstorm.
4. Capture ideas when they come. Learn to sense when a thought pops into your head and create a simple system to capture it at the moment.
5. Speak your ideas. Express your idea to someone else and explain it spontaneously. Don’t read it from your notes; say it extemporaneously.
6. Ask more questions. In any conversation, the process of coming up with questions to ask and listening to people’s answers can lead to new ideas.
7. Study opposite takes on the same idea. A key to successful idea generation is to recognize there are infinite answers to every challenge.
8. Focus on ideas that solve problems. Rather than wait for a magical vision to hit you, think about what problems people have that you’d like to solve.
9. Vary where and when you think. Rather than set a specific time to brainstorm, train yourself to do so at different times and in varying locations.

The Bible

For a role model of great ideas, there is no one better than Jesus of Nazareth.  Throughout His ministry, He constantly demonstrated how to develop and follow tremendous and innovative new ideas.

Passion – Jesus had a passion for his vision.  He faced rejection from His brothers, people thought He was crazy, and He was hated by the Bible scholars of the day.

Vision – Jesus understood the power of vision. While the Pharisees and the people of Israel were waiting for a king to rule and reign over the world, Jesus had the vision to save the whole world.

Think Differently – Jesus had a different mindset from the religious leaders and scripture scholars of His time.  He applied this in his teaching method, where He believed that the people had to be taught with clarity to receive the word with understanding.

Inspire Others – Jesus was a great leader. Many of His followers were not educated, but His words were full of praise and admiration for them.  In the end, He entrusted his vision to them. (John 13:1-17) and ultimately, they exhibited excellence in everything they did, and they completely changed the entire world. (Acts of Apostles).

We need more good ideas in the business world. 

The problems we face are monumental and require thoughtful, considerate, all-encompassing solutions. 

Set for yourself a pattern to generate good ideas for your business.  And don’t forget to follow Jesus’s lead in creating those ideas.