Have you ever had an idea that you just know is really great? Something with real potential?
What do you do with it?
Have you ever just tried to mull it over yourself?
Are you inclined to keep it hidden because…..someone else might steal it? or, deep inside do you worry someone might laugh? Or think you’re an idiot?
Do you hold back exploring because you fear that you might track the idea in front of someone and then discover that it isn’t so great after all?
What do YOU do?
Do you sit on those great idea germs?
Do you have a trusted thought partner who respects you enough to brainstorm with integrity – to never betray your trust?
Where do you find someone with whom you can talk about your ideas?
Here are some solutions to consider:
- Turn to a trusted family member who would never betray you, and who also respects you enough not to crush your fledgling innovations
- Or speak with a friend who you can really trust.
Truly, it’s a great life if you have either of those or, better yet, both! – But many positive disrupters (innovative thinkers), with great ideas don’t have either, because they hadn’t considered that it was important to cultivate those connections!
If your ideas live in a specialized realm of inquiry – like a branch of science or engineering, philosophy or art, or even social science – your idea might be so esoteric that it’s uniqueness eludes someone outside of your specialty. If that’s the case – and you do have a trusted friend or family member – you might consider explaining the outline of why this idea is innovative and share it with them anyway. This will give you a venue in which to practice expressing the idea.
As a bonus, sharing will work to build the trust and connection you share in that relationship.
Now, adding to the possible solutions above:
- Join or create a trusted mastermind team
- find a trusted advisor or mentor
- invest in an executive coach
Even if the first pass of sharing and developing your big idea is with a friend or family member – having a really trusted mastermind team or mentor is a great idea for people living a purposeful life.
In the end, nearly every exceptional leader, whether they lead within their family, their work, or on a bigger scale finds that ultimately having a trusted and respected mentor or executive coach to share and develop ideas with allows their contributions to mature within a safe incubator.
So! You’ve got a great idea! Or, at least you think you do. Now what?
Figure out who your trusted advisors and thought partners are and begin to explore!
To your continued amazingness,
Lisa
