One of the most renowned inventors in the world is Thomas Edison. He is known to have commented that performing like a genius requires 1% of inspiration and 99% of perspiration. This means that success requires some inspiration but needs a lot of hard work. Today, it is easy to come up with brand new ideas that can create a fortune while solving the problems of the world. However, it is far more difficult to execute these ideas until they produce tangible products or services. Scott Belsky solves this hard part in his book, "Making Ideas Happen".
A professional in understanding how teams in the creative industry work to implement ideas, Scott has combined six years of research into this handy book. He also founded a company known as Behance that assists organizations to transform ideas into objective results. In his book, Scott covers the habits and leadership strategies required to make this possible. Read on to discover the lessons we learned from the book Making Ideas Happen.
Execution is a skill
Nobody is born with the innate drive and ability to transform a creative idea into a complete, tangible product or service. This process is normally completed through execution. This is where the innovator develops the habits, resources and support system to turn their idea into something that has real, observable effects. Scott Belsky indicates that execution is a skill. You must learn it by repetition, error and correction just like any other. However, he indicates that the difference between successful people and the rest is how fast you make your mistakes. It is important to make them as fast as you can so as to learn and move forward before your competition has even began the race. As such, to turn your idea into a real product or service, you need to learn the skill of execution.
Focus on idea execution
The world is full of creative people. They regularly come up with some amazing ideas that can improve and benefit the society. However, only a very small percentage of them manages to turn their ideas into solid products or services. This is because they focus all their energy on generating ideas instead of executing them. Scott Belsky indicates in his book that we should focus more on how to execute our ideas and not creating more of them. This is a process that takes time, dedication and the wisdom to know which ideas to pursue. Moreover, when you develop the skill of execution, it lasts forever and can be applied on various ideas in future.
Learn more : 8 Things That Will Help You in Better Executing Your Ideas
Divide the task of execution into manageable steps
Turning an idea into a real item or service can be a very confusing and taxing activity to perform. This is because there is no particular formula which applies to all ideas which you can refer to for guidance. Every idea is different and requires unique execution. To make things easier, Scott Belsky provides a general guide which you can use to execute your idea. This guide organizes the activities which are necessary for execution into three categories.
The action steps
The first category is the action steps. These are the ones which you need to take to create a foundation for your idea. For example, activities such as writing a business plan, registering a company or booking a location are action steps. Thus, find out the ones which are necessary for your idea and execute them.
Learn more : 7 Tips You Need to Learn From the Book the Effective Executive
The references required
The second category is the references that you will need. For you to perform successful execution, you should find references for the necessary information you need to bring your idea into fruition. These can take the form of books, reports, websites or even professionals who have experience in the field you are entering. Thus, make sure you get the necessary information for your endeavor.
Extras
The third category is comprised of the extra things that would be great to have in you execution plan but are not really necessary. They can be thought of as luxury amenities in your path of execution. Examples of these are classy transport, luxury materials, the services of high class accomodation or expensive legal help. In this category, you can pick out the ones that you would want but can do without if the time or financial resources get depleted. With these three categories of steps, you have a good idea of the way forward in executing your ideas.
Identify who you are
There are 3 main types of people in the process of converting creative ideas into practical results. As an innovator, it is important to know which type of person you are. Scott Belsky indicates that these types are the dreamers, doers and incrementalists.
The dreamers
The dreamers are those who have so many amazing ideas but have no tangible results at all. This is because they spend all their time in generating new ideas instead of executing the existing ones. They are inspired but have nothing to show for it.
The doers
Doers are pragmatic and passionate about completing tasks. They have their life exceptionally organized and are realistic about their circumstances. Doers are great at finishing work but are unable to create new ideas. As such, they can begin the execution process with energy but get stuck in the middle when things get challenging due to a lack of inspiration and motivation.
Learn more : 7 Tips You Need to Learn From the Book the Effective Executive
The incrementalists
These can be thought of as a hybrid of doers and dreamers. They have the qualities of both. Thus, they are great at coming up with ideas and executing them. However, they have a tendency of starting too many projects at the same time and not completing any one of them. This is due to their divided attention. This is the Achilles heel of the incrementalist. By learning about these types of innovators, you can proceed to place yourself in one of them. This helps you to know your strengths and weaknesses in the process of execution. Moreover, knowing your identity helps you to pick people around who complement you. In this way, you can form a winning team and boost your chances of achieving success.
The Important Take Away
Many ideas fail to see the light of day due to the inability of their innovators to execute. Scott observed this and wrote Making Ideas Happen to help creative individuals turn their spark into real results. Some lessons from the book are indicated above. Thus, you can read and learn them so as to turn your awesome ideas into fame, fortune and benefit for the society.
