transform useless indes into innovation

You ideas are probably worthless because they consist of little more than random, incomplete thoughts that exist outside a framework for execution. The reason all your great ideas haven’t amounted to enough to buy a cup of coffee is because you don’t understand the difference between ideas and innovation. Disruptive innovation is rarely as simple as raw genius that bubbles-up. Most often innovation is the culmination of several things: a sound idea, vetted through great process, refined by innovative application, and brought to market by outstanding leadership. The difference between an idea and innovation is execution – don’t be the “idea” person, be the innovator.
It is my hope to help dispel the myth that ideas are inherently good things. Let me state right from the outset that I place little value on ideas. Not only do raw ideas have little intrinsic value, but they are often very costly. While I stipulate to the fact ideas can sometimes lead to great things, I also submit it is more frequently the case that ideas lead to distraction, disappointment, and even outright disaster. Those of you familiar with my work are probably wondering if it is really me authoring this text – if you’re baffled at how a champion of innovation can simultaneously be an idea-basher, I urge you to read on, and I promise the congruity will become apparent.
I want to start by actually defining what an idea is, and is not. Ideas do not constitute a philosophy, principle, or strategy. An idea is not synonymous with a competitive advantage, an idea is not necessarily a sign of creativity, an idea does not constitute innovation, and as much as some people wish it was so, an idea is certainly not a business. To the chagrin of many reading this post, ideas in and of themselves are nothing more than unrefined, random thoughts. Ideas on their own accord are really quite useless. The truth can often times be harsh and difficult to hear, but it is nonetheless the truth.
Ideas are a dime a dozen. If you take a moment and reflect on all the ideas you’ve spawned over the years, or the many ideas that have been birthed by your friends, family, and professional associates, you’ll quickly see most of them never achieved lift-off. The problem is most ideas never get implemented, and moreover, even the best ideas when improperly implemented can cause great harm. While creativity is clearly a valuable asset, unbridled creativity where random, disparate ideas abound outside of a sound decisioning and execution framework will create distraction and chaos much more often than they will lead to innovation.
In fact, it is most often the organizations that demonstrate a “heard mentality” when rushing to adopt the latest ideas which are the farthest thing from being innovative. The net result of being a late stage trend follower is that you’ll likely experience little more than yet another in a long line of great adventures which end in frustration due to the time wasted and the investment squandered.  The reality is that many businesses are quick to recognize great ideas, but they often have no plan for how to successfully integrate them into their business model.
My advice to you is not to let your business get caught up in embracing random ideas – at least not without some initial analysis being conducted to determine the likelihood of success. Failed initiatives are costly at several levels. Aside from draining financial resources, a flawed execution can cast doubt on management credibility, have a negative impact on morale, taint the brand, adversely affect external relationships, and cause a variety of other problems for your business.
Every sound business initiative begins with a vision accompanied by a solid strategic plan. However while most anyone can cobble together a high level vision , very few can author a strategy that can be successfully implemented. In order for your enterprise to turn an idea into a monetizing and/or value creating event you should develop a strategic plan that attempts to measure the idea against the following 15 elements:
1. Framework: The idea should be generated within a solid framework for decisioning. It should be developed as a solution to a problem or to exploit an opportunity. The idea should be in alignment with the overall vision and mission of the enterprise. Ideas which linger outside of a framework usually die a slow and painful death.
2. Advantage: If the idea doesn’t provide a unique competitive advantage it should at least bring you closer to an even playing field. That said, the best initiatives don’t level the field, they tilt the field in your favor.
3. Alignment: Any new idea should preferably add value to existing initiatives, and if not, it should show a significant enough return on investment to justify the dilutive effect of not keeping the main thing the main thing. Sailing into a “blue ocean” is only a good thing if you eventually reach your destination. It doesn’t matter if your ocean is blue if you remain lost at sea.
4. Assess: Put the idea through a risk/reward and cost/benefit analysis. Calculated risks are fine so long as you’ve actually done the calculations.
5. Simple: Whether the new idea is intended for your organization, vendors, suppliers, partners or customers it must easy to use. Usability drives adoptability, and therefore it pays to keep things simple.