Ideas Are Nothing Without Action

-by Peter Petrulo, Designer & Partner

At Zeus Jones, we believe that great ideas can come from anywhere: creatives, designers, clients, MBA interns, manufacturing specialists — it doesn’t matter. And we believe it because we’ve seen ideas we love come from just about everywhere. But once you’ve got a great idea, what do you do with it? And how do you make it from a concept on paper into an action in market — fast?

The early stages of creating something new or solving a problem are some of the most free-flowing, low-risk and fun moments of a project. There are no rules, no judgment, and no responsibility for operationalizing an idea.

But then it’s time to get to work.

What usually happens at this stage of a project:

1. You’ve probably spent way too much time getting to the perfect, precious idea.
2. You’ve probably got too many directions and are struggling with focus.
3. You’re overwhelmed with the thought of execution and implementation.

And that’s when reality sets in and the questions start. How do we actually do this? Can we actually do this? Who do we need to help us do this? Far too often those questions lead to the endless churn of planning, revising, aligning, and meeting invites to “touch base.”

Getting stuck in this cycle can be incredibly frustrating and, eventually, demoralizing. Modern business requires speed, focus, and agility; there’s no time to sit and wait while Bezos thinks about how to challenge your category. You have to take action.

We’ve found ourselves in these situations so often that we took a step back to better understand what helps us and our clients break through to action most effectively.

Here’s what it takes:

1. A foolproof system of evaluation. It’s vital to have tools for assessing and evaluating ideas that completely eliminate subjective opinions — and even the very act of making decisions. When we use the right tools, the decisions make themselves.
2. The right people. We have to ask ourselves, “Whose help and collaboration will be required to make these actions awesome?” and them bring them together to help shape the ideas and the plan.
3. Short-term focus. Have you ever worked on a project that followed its original long-term plan? Things change. Technology evolves. New competitors arise. And all of it means that the plan’s going to change. So instead of worrying about the long-term, it’s better to get to work on what matters today. And, most importantly…
4. The entrepreneurial spirit. Getting to action quicker than ever before requires a spirit that’s not afraid to kill darling ideas along the way. A spirit that doesn’t slow down for anything that won’t help right now. A spirit that sets ridiculously high standards — and finds a way to make them real.

But all this isn’t easily done. It takes tough thinking. It takes a plan. And it takes the help of a team that’s experienced in making ideas into reality.

That’s why we created Shift — a collaborative endeavor designed to help you approach your problems from a new angle and give you immediate, tangible actions — all in one day.​

So, if you’re reading this in a meeting that feels like it’s going nowhere, or if you’re sitting around waiting for the tools you need to get your project moving, we’d love to talk.

Get in touch.

-by Peter Petrulo, Designer & Partner

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Originally published at zeusjones.com on November 30, 2017.