Stop Circling The Airport of Never-ending Theoretical Ideas!
While great leaders look outside their organizations to learn from the mistakes and best practices of others, there is a danger in endlessly searching for that elusive ‘magic bullet’ they feel is missing from their company. Too many times leaders read a book, attend a conference, or have conversations with other entrepreneurs about what led to breakthrough success, and then return to their business and attempt to implement that one idea.
Why your team keeps rejecting your flavor of the month ideas
Leaders who keep lurching from one theoretical idea to the next, wear their team out because:
#1 – Your team wasn’t there. You read the entire book or heard the conversation of one idea in its larger context – but your team is just hearing that sliver of an idea without the proper context.
#2 – Most theoretical ideas are isolated to one thing. Rarely is breakthrough business performance isolated to just ‘one thing’. Enduring business success requires getting multiple key aspects of the business right.
#3 – Humans require fair process. As a leader, you likely were wrestling with the issue for years before you came across a potential solve. When you present that idea to your team, they are likely just beginning to wrestle with the issue for the first time. They need time and due process to come to a place of accepting the idea.
#4 – Most ideas lack practical implementation steps. I’ve often seen business leaders fail to practically implement the theoretical ideas in a book in the real world of their company. It’s usually much easier to understand the theory, than to make that theory work in the real world.
#5 - Changed thinking alone won't change outcomes. Only changed behavior leads to changed outcomes.
Ideas alone won’t change your business:
Ideas don’t lead to outcomes – actions lead to outcomes
Ideas that worked in another context may not be right for your context
Ideas are mental models, not practical ‘how to’ action plans
Ideas that worked at a large enterprise with hundreds of thousands of employees (think Amazon) are likely not going to work at an entrepreneurial company with 25 to 250 employees
From theory to action - proven processes & tools
For years, I was a voracious consumer of business ideas and theory, but continued to be frustrated with not being able to translate that great theory into desired outcomes. Along the way, the Navigate the Journey team have learned what works & doesn't work, and we allow our clients to learn from our failures & successes, so as they are not practicing on themselves.
Ready to land the plane?
If you are ready to stop the endless circling of the business ideas airport, and you are ready to get what you want from your business, then visit NavigateTheJourney.com and schedule a call with Tom Barrett.
About The Author
Tom Barrett is a Leadership Team Coach based in Nashville, and is a Certified Scaling Up Coach™, Certified Pinnacle Business Guide, & former Certified EOS Implementer™. He helps his clients build scalable businesses by clarifying their vision, simplifying their strategy and achieving their goals one quarter at a time.