Give Your Ideas Handles
I write these letters to you for a few reasons. Primarily, I can't NOT write out my thoughts. I'm an author. I write and I publish. The other reason is that it's a way for me to talk with the people I work with without always having to be direct about it. If the idea resonates with you, maybe you were meant to pick it up. If it doesn't, that's okay. You can leave it there. I publish here so I might give my ideas handles.
What that means is simple: I package the idea such that you can pick it up and do something of your own with it.
Lots of people try to make ideas stay their own. They try to possess their ideas, label them, brand them so that people will know they're smart. Good for you.
I Think YOU Came Up With That
It's my least kept secret that I want you to think you came up with the idea I shared with you, that it's yours. When I "win," it's when you spread something around like it's been yours all along. Because often, the things I love to share are delivered because I really want them to be helpful.
The two words I measure my contributions to the world by the most are "helpful" (or "useful" interchangeably) and "kind." If I die knowing that I'm thought of as helpful and kind, then I'll have lived a full life.
One way to help is to give you ideas. The best way to give away ideas is to make them easier for you to pick up. Thus, "Give your ideas handles."
Recommended by LinkedIn
This is Such a Stealable Concept
Everything I do is steal-enabled. By that, I mean, I want you to take the idea and make it yours. INCLUDING THIS IDEA. Make YOUR ideas more stealable, too. Make it easy for people to take your idea and run with it. Stop hording your ideas. It's a dopey intention. Everyone knows the idea fairy comes to those who give away their existing ideas anyway.
What do I realllllllly mean, though. I mean the following:
If an idea is important enough, make sure others know that it's not your idea. That's what we're talking about.
But then again you know that. It was your idea in the first place.
Chris...
Appfire
10moInteresting idea
VP of Manufacturing Implementation
10moI think Steve Jobs who said something like "Good artists borrow, great artists steal." He was talking about the mouse and other ideas he saw that were developed at the Xerox Innovation Lab. My point is an idea isn't worth much unless someone does something with it. Striving to be helpful and kind is a great way to be remembered! I can think of many professions where this is the goal, such as nurses, social workers and pastors. Is it harder to do in business? I guess it depends on the business and the role a person plays.
Psychotherapeut, Auteur, Blogger, Opleider
10moIt's true, Chris, you are helpful and kind
I kick-start growth for companies in Print, Media, and B2B Tech. #PrintChat host. Contributor #PrintMediaCentr #PIA #LabelandNarrowWeb #SeyboldReport #LaMannaMedia. #Grambassador
10moI can't remember when I first heard you say this, but I put a reminder in my email that comes once a week, reminding me to put handles on my ideas.
Global User Experience Design & Research Leader ◊ Revenue Growth Driver ◊ Global UX Strategy & Design ◊ Passion For Elevating Customer Experiences & Delivering Products That Exceed Expectations
10moFirst, I'm thrilled when someone else wants to claim my idea as their own, especially if they make it better or are even more invested in its success than I am. Sometimes I tell my team when they are stuck trying to sell an idea, find someone who cares more than they do and get them to think it is their idea and run with it. And stealing ideas is similar to not reinventing the wheel. Instead make it better in some way. I actually feel the same way about sharing friends. Nothing makes me happier than when I see my friends becoming friends with each other. It makes my friendship circle stronger, and I wouldn't be friends with the person in the first place if I didn't think they were a great friend. So why not share them with other great friends. Hmm sharing, didn't we learn that in kindergarten?