By Steve Moran
I was talking to my friend Brett Landrum at Procare HR (a Foresight partner), and he was telling me that when they take on new initiatives, they need to have someone on the team who is 100% passionate about that thing and moving it forward in the organization. (At least this is the goal.)
If you do not have that kind of passion, that thing … will move slowly, not at all, or even backward. I can tell you that in the Foresight organization, this is a real problem, because I have about 10 new ideas a week. Most just sit on an idea list, but a few are moving forward slowly … though maybe not even that fast.
Better Off
It turns out that you are better off to not take on that project or that initiative if you do not have that person who is fully committed. Limping an idea, a project along becomes discouraging for everyone, and it sucks up resources.
Time to Incubate
This does not mean you should not spend any resources on new ideas or initiatives, because new ideas, most of the time, need time to bake, allowing you and the organization to have enough time to figure out whether or not they are even good ideas.
What to Work On
Take a look at your current initiatives, and for each one, ask yourself:
- Does this fit with our mission?
- Does it have someone who is really driving it forward in a fashion that will make it successful?
- Is this an initiative we should kill?
- Is this an initiative that is a great idea but needs to go on the shelf until we find the right person, the right resources to do it right?
Kill some of these not-ready-for-prime-time projects, and you will be so happy, your team will be happy, and your entire organization will be more successful.
