Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming The Obstacles Between Vision And Reality Quotes
"Ideas don’t happen because they are great—or by accident."
"The capacity to make ideas happen can be developed by anyone."
"Having the idea is just a small part of the process."
"Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration."
"For the creative mind, inspiration comes easily."
"What makes up the other 99 percent of making ideas happen?"
"The most admired leaders are able to build and manage teams that can overcome obstacles."
"The path to making [ideas] happen is tumultuous."
"The ideas that move industries forward are not the result of tremendous creative insight but rather of masterful stewardship."
"The natural course of a new idea—from conception to execution—shows that nearly all new ideas die a premature death."
"The most potent forces that kill off new ideas are our own limitations."
"The forces that help us be productive and execute our ideas are often at odds with the very source of our ideas: our creativity."
"Creativity is the catalyst for brilliant accomplishments, but it is also the greatest obstacle."
"Realize that you control the platform for your ideas."
"Organization is the guiding force of productivity."
"Ideas are made to happen only as the result of a well-managed work flow."
"Ideas don’t reveal themselves only in meetings, and neither should Action Steps."
"One action-obsessed leader I met... had used the same morning ritual for managing his Action Steps every day since 1977."
"Ideas come up when you are reading an article, taking a shower, daydreaming, or getting ready for bed."
"The capacity to do so starts with compartmentalization, shared values, and the power of clarity."
"The gravitational pull over an operator is nearly impossible to escape."
"Everyone knows how valuable an idea may become for us."
"Our value for clarity overcomes the risk and fear of speaking up when something doesn’t make sense."
"The challenge is compounded for projects that you created yourself."
"The amount of energy we invest in turning ideas into commercial assets encourages people to maintain their ideas."
"Keeping your focus list short makes it easier to constantly review throughout the day."
"Worrying wastes time and distracts us from returning to the important stuff."
"The constant flow of 'urgent' matters that arise for you threatens to interfere with your long-term objectives."
"The easiest and most seductive escape from the project plateau is the most dangerous one: a new idea."
"The truth is, creativity isn’t about wild talent as much as it’s about productivity."
"We have lots of ideas...but we develop less than 10 percent of them."
"Execution, of course, is predominantly perspiration."
"The ability to act on fledgling ideas will help only if you also have the willpower to abandon them when necessary."
"Ideas are most likely to reveal their flaws immediately prior to completion."
"You want to limit change later on in a project, but you want to be able to change when you need to."
"The inspiration to generate ideas comes easy, but the inspiration to take action is more rare."
"The constant need for assurance becomes a shackle on your productivity."
"You can only organize something if you understand how it works."
"The lizard brain interferes with execution by amplifying our fears."
"The first step is to discern what is urgent versus what is important in the long term."
"The wise creative leader understands that idea generation is a wild animal that requires a stolid trainer to tame excitement with a healthy dose of skepticism."
"Execution is rarely comfortable or convenient."
"You don’t believe the muse visits you. You believe that you visit the muse."
"The fact is that great ideas are plentiful, and very few people have the discipline and resources to make them happen."
"When your ideas are known by many, they are more likely to be refined, and you are more likely to stay focused on them."
"Ultimately, most ideas die in isolation because they are not shared."
"The value of feedback is inarguable. It is a powerful, sobering force that can help refine good ideas, kill bad ones, and postpone premature ideas that are not yet ripe."
"Feedback in the creative world is clouded by a unique conundrum that ultimately comes down to incentives."
"The more enamored we are with an idea, the more we need this reality check."
"Nothing boosts feedback exchange more than transparency."
"Your ideas will be shared more broadly—and those who care most about your work and latest projects will subscribe to that information."
"For most young professionals struggle to depart the security of a traditional career, the membership of this particular network of Cornell University graduates has a strong track record of defying the status quo."
"If you don’t normally work within a group, you may want to create your own."
"Ideas often have the tendency to lie stagnant until we are jolted into action by either excitement or fear."
"When you publicly commit yourself and take on risk to make an idea happen, you garner what I have come to call 'Committal Benefits.'"
"Perhaps the most critical of all communal forces is accountability."
"The drive to pursue long-term creative goals goes against the grain of the comfortable trickling stream of short-term rewards."
"To push our ideas to fruition—time and time again—we must find ways to overpower our basic tendencies and nearsighted motivations."
"Admired leaders of creative projects are able to provide flexibility for their teams by keeping a close eye on the team’s chemistry and ensuring that the priorities are clear to everyone."
"A strong chemistry in a team will not only support the development of new ideas but also help get rid of bad ones."
"The skeptics—the ones who always question ideas first rather than falling in love with them—are the white blood cells."
"Skeptics are an essential component of a healthy team, and leaders should cultivate their respect and influence."
"Conflict is a common occurrence in any creative process. It is a good sign, a powerful opportunity to refine your ideas and processes."
"The best answer to any problem often dwells in the land of the unknown."
"As the leader of a creative team, try to foster healthy debate between people with different levels of influence and experience."
"Consensus can often lead to a lackluster outcome."
"Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it."
"Creative minds flee their teams at an alarming rate, and attrition is a common challenge."