Hello there!
Antoine from Impactified!
This week I’m focusing the self-coaching series on new ideas and the way to manage them.
I had a very interesting discussion a few days ago with a client who was struggling with prioritizing. The truth is, everyone does. So here’s some food for thought.
Ideas are a powerful way to keep one’s business (or team) going. They get some fresh blood into the system, and by doing so they bring new options. Because of their capacity to question the status quo, they can even become an absolute game changer!
The issue, though, is to figure out which ideas are worth keeping, and how to manage the pool of thoughts that comes to your mind?
The kanban logic works as a solution for many people, and it’s easy to put into place, with tools like Trello or with a simple sheet of paper.
Just in case you’re wondering, kanbans are a series of boxes where you can list your ideas and keep them warm.
Every now and then, select some ideas worth keeping and move them to a “to consider” column, and then to a “to-do” column. Once you’re ready to get going, they’ll go into a “ongoing” column, so forth and so on.
The hack is, you should only have three to four items in a column at the same time. That’s where the resource optimization kicks in!
Moving on – beyond the pool management element, it is important to focus on two things.
One, the complexity behind idea management lies in your ability to get less on your plate to avoid diverting your energy, your attention and your resources. So, between several ideas, which one is the most impactful? Which one gets you closer to your smart goals?
Two, having an assumption validation system is important. Ideas come and go, hence your ability to define a ‘test and measure’ framework is what turns a valid idea into validated learning.
The idea itself might fail, but if testing it can help you validate an assumption, eliminate an option, or come to a conclusion that helps you move on… then the testing process can be a success.
Said differently? Idea management is not about accumulation but about iteration and filtering.
We all have ideas, at any time, all the time, but we’re not all equal when it comes to making the most of them. The question is, what do you do to make the most of your ideas?
Hopefully, this bit of writing will help you think forward!
Coachingly yours,
Antoine
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