Today's Tip
Too Many Ideas?
 Ever
return from a wonderful seminar or conference with too many ideas to implement?
Jane Sink, Vice President of Marketing at DSA, just returned from a sales
and marketing conference with at least 20 good ideas that look like they
are worth pursuing. Since we all know how hard it is to implement any significatnt
change idea, we needed to narrow them down. I thought I would share with
you how we narrowed the ideas down to one or two Ideas Worth Pursuing,
(IWPs).
We took a three-step approach. You may want to give this a try the next
time you have a meeting that generates lots of ideas that all appear to be
pretty good.
| Step 1: |
List ideas you think are worth pursuing.
Ideas may come from anywhere–yourself, co-workers, other managers, your
manager, outside the company, strategic planning sessions, corporate goals and
plans.
|
| Step
2: |
Check off each idea
against four criteria.
 Achievable |
An
achievable idea is one that you can implement or that you see
being
implemented easily. It is a practical idea.
|
| Beneficial |
A beneficial
idea is
one in which benefits outweigh the costs.
|
| Compatible |
A compatible
idea is one that suits you, your work group’s, and/or your
organization’s needs, values, habits, and culture.
|
| Divisible |
A divisible
idea is one that can be implemented in parts or stages. |
The inertia of the status quo is usually great, therefore any change idea will
have a much better chance of seeing the light of day if it is strong on all four
criteria.
|
| Step
3: |
Rank order your
ideas.
For the ideas that received a check in all four boxes rank order them according
to:
- How significant
you think the change will be. This idea will make a significant difference.
It will greatly solve an existing problem, offer a new useful opportunity,
or enhance the quality of life in the work environment in a strong,
meaningful way.
- Ease
of implementation. This idea can be brought to life and be implemented
without excessive investment of time, energy, resources. It can be
done without unacceptable detriment to other parts of the organization.
- Chance
of being accepted. When presented to decision-makers, this idea will
be viewed as fitting in with the system. A case can be built for
it that will be convincing. It is not so alien as to be rejected
outright.
|
Selecting a
most promising idea from many requires more than checking off and rank
ordering criteria. It
requires strong intuitive judgment as well.
Remember, intuition is not just “feeling.” It is a rapid and
efficient means the mind uses to integrate large amounts of information.
Until next time, Darryl
Article © 2005 Darryl
L. Sink & Associates, Inc.
|
Vol.
1, No. 18 November 8, 2005 
