Moving from Concept to Communication
In the Innovation process I discovered three things are important. The idea, it effective communication, and it proper execution. From my experience I realized that an idea cannot be executed alone. You can't have the full picture even as the pioneer but you have the blue print which is important. When I initially conceived the idea of a 'Design movement in Nigeria' - how the 'design approach' can be used to solve some of our complex challenges. shifting people's perspective from asthetics to the original intent of design for problem solving. Despite believing in the idea, I still needed someone to share it with. One of the things you should take into consideration before sharing your idea with anyone is their nature. Ask yourself things like, "Is the person knowledgeable about your idea?" "Is the person already practicing in line with your idea?" or "Is the person also looking forward to becoming a professional in similar field? It may be some of your colleagues that you admire and find intelligent."
For me, my first step was to meet with an associate pastor in my church, with whom I discussed the idea with such a burning passion that after our meeting, someone inquired as to what I had been discussing so passionately:) The reason I approached him was because he is not only a pastor, but also a Designer who owns a branding firm. After hearing all I told him, he encouraged me and told me to go ahead and write everything I told him down. Returning to school, typing it out, and printing it made the concept seem more tangible to me. At that point, I felt the need to share it with some of my campus colleagues, which is how I formed a team.
Here's Ben Horowitz experience, he is the co-founder and general partner of Andreesen Horowitz a silicon valley-based venture capital firm. prior to co-founding the VC he used to be the CEO of Opsware, formerly Loudcloud, which was acquired by Hewlett-Packard for $1.6billion in 2007. In his book "The Hard Thing about Hard Things" He explained that while Loudcloud was on the verge of bankruptcy, he had an idea for creating a server automation software. However, when he shared this idea with some of his coworkers, they felt it would be inappropriate to work on such a project at that time given the Organization's resources and the possibility that it would divert their attention from improving their core product. Nevertheless, he felt that, as CEO, he should still trust his instincts. After talking with the board about the idea, he set up a team to work on it, and the result ended up being the thing that saved the company. Opsware was sold for over a billion dollars.
You may not have a fresh idea yet; it may be a challenge on your business or at your workplace, it may even be a personal issue, I'll say don't put all the struggles on your shoulder. Nobody feels it more than you. You won’t be able to share every burden, but share every burden that you can.
I will next share on moving from communication to execution.