Not sure I totally agree about “Ideas are cheap; execution and results are everything.” Both the idea and the execution need to be strong IMO.

You can polish a turd but it’s a still a turd.

At least in graphic design, one of the things I see some less experienced designers do is only “executing” on a couple ideas, slight variations on a theme (or idea) they had.

Somehow you still need to know the idea you’re running with is fantastic. Senior designers know when to keep trying completely different things or flesh out existing ones. I suppose that can only come with experience on what’s “worked” before.

Einstein was ridiculed for years before others came to value his ideas.

I think Mad Men has it right. Draper often spent days hashing out the right concept. Is that execution or ideation? I’d say both.