What’s the Big Idea?
Jimmy Stewart said it best in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington: “Either I’m dead right or I’m crazy!”
If you have a great idea you’ve been working on lately, you probably feel the same way. You’re stuck with this aching notion of a new world, but people are sick of hearing you dribble on and on about it. You think you’re a master visionary, but others only see you mumbling incoherently on a park bench. But you’ve got to keep talking, even if it is just to yourself.
There may be nothing different from you and the great visionaries — except for their ability to articulate, their passion to execute, and their luck to be right. Test how acute your vision is. Answer these questions to get a reality check (arbitrary scoring to follow).
- Can the world stay the same?
If everything as we know it must change, that’s too big a task. That doesn’t mean you can’t change the world after your big idea — the really big ones do. But if a million things have to happen beforehand, stop your raving.
- Can anyone else see it?
Paul Newman said it in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: “I have vision and the whole world wears bifocals.” In the world we work in, most people are wearing really thick glasses. Maybe you can whip them into a frenzy, but if they can’t explain it to others, you’re going nowhere. If it’s a great business idea, you’ll need lots of help from co-workers, customers, and even your boss. They’ll all need to understand it, even when you’re not in the room.
- Can you get part of it done now?
Little, early wins make true believers. You need others to follow, and others usually thrive on the tangible. Get a simple example completed as soon as possible. Map it out step-by-step.
- Does it stay on target?
I worked for a great entrepreneurial visionary once. The hardest day was Monday, because he had all weekend to dream up new stuff. “Scope creep” can be a disease, so keep focused. Make sure every new offshoot rolls up into the master plan. Improvements to a great idea are going to happen, but bells and whistles can just make a lot of noise.
- Do you really want it?
Some folks suffer from an uncanny ability to weave a compelling story about almost anything. Ask yourself if it’s really worth it, or if you’re just listening to your own internal p.r. Changing the world is hard work. Thomas Edison opined, “Genius is 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration.” Are you really onto something, or just buying a lot of deodorant?
- Will it make a difference?
You need an endgame, a dream sequence that puts all the pieces together. A great idea can organically change people’s behavior. Everyone will wonder how they ever survived without it.
- Can you explain it in an elevator?
This is a mandatory requirement for any great idea. Two to 10 floors better do it, or it takes too long. Explain it concisely in one sentence — and not like the last sentence of Ulysses.
- Can you sell it?
I mean really sell it. We are talking about business ideas here. Beware of the great business myth that starts with “and if we just give it away to everybody, then they’ll get hooked and we can charge them later.” If you’re giving something away, make sure it’s not the crown jewels. It’ll be no fun watching your brainchild live in the public domain while others make money improving it.
- Does your family understand it?
Do your kids understand it? Or least part of it? Some jobs are easy — “My dad is a doctor.” But anyone aspiring to complete a vision needs to work at all levels. Try listening to how your kids explain what you do: “My daddy does … uh, really cool stuff. That’s what he says, anyway.” Can your mother understand it, or is she just proud of you? (As my son Max says, “Sometimes it’s kind of hard to tell the difference.”)
- Does it scare your grandmother?
That’s good. Then you know you’ve got a paradigm breaker.
Scoring:
You get one point for every “yes.”
Ten points: Call me and tell me what you’re working on!
Seven-Nine points: You’re a visionary. Keep plugging.
Four-Six points: You could be onto something. But then again, no one may ever care.
One-Three points: You have better ideas ordering lunch.
Zero Points: Give up. Now.
Scott Taylor is group vice president of sales and marketing for Wilton, CT-based Trade Dimensions. He can be reached at [email protected].
