TIGIGI: A Framework for Turning a Thought into a Great Idea for Effective Leadership

Tee-Gee-Gee: Goofy Name, Powerful Framework

Hello, dear readers! After a brief hiatus, I’m thrilled to be back, reconnecting with you all through this biweekly newsletter. Let’s continue our journey towards effective leadership and creating a positive impact together!

In the dynamic world of executive leadership, thoughts are like seeds. They come in all shapes and sizes, from small sparks that could improve a team meeting to grand visions that could transform an entire organization. But how do you nurture these seeds and grow them into flourishing trees of great ideas that can be put into action? The TIGIGI model (Thought > Idea > Good Idea > Great Idea) provides a clear and versatile framework for this journey.

Thought: Identifying the Opportunity

The first step in the TIGIGI model is the Thought phase. As an executive, you’re constantly exposed to a myriad of opportunities that need addressing. It could be a small problem that’s been nagging at your team, a gap in the market that your company could fill, or a process within your organization that could be improved. This is where your leadership journey begins — identifying a thought that could potentially address an opportunity. It’s about being observant, open-minded, and receptive to the world around you. It’s about recognizing the potential in a fleeting thought and holding onto it, no matter how big or small.

Idea: Developing a Solution

Once you’ve identified the opportunity, the next step is to develop an Idea. This involves refining your initial thought into something actionable. At this stage, your idea doesn’t have to be perfect. It just needs to be factually correct and something you could take action on. It’s about taking your thought and giving it shape, form, and direction. It’s about asking questions, doing research, and gathering information. It’s about testing the waters, exploring possibilities, and checking the feasibility of your thought. Whether your thought is a small tweak or a grand vision, this stage is about turning it into a concrete idea.

Good Idea: Refining for Impact

After developing your idea, the next step in the TIGIGI model is to refine it into a Good Idea. This involves considering the impacts of your idea and refining it to ensure it leads towards the best possible outcome for the opportunity you’re trying to solve. It’s about considering the implications, weighing the pros and cons, and evaluating the potential impact. It’s about fine-tuning your idea, making adjustments, and refining it until it’s the best it can be.

For larger ideas, this stage could involve a more in-depth analysis using strategic tools such as an affinity diagram or the 4-box technique. For instance, you could use the 4-box technique to categorize potential solutions to your opportunity based on their potential for positive impact and cost to implement. This can help you focus on the ideas that have the highest impact and lowest cost to implement.

Great Idea: Aligning with Influencers

The final step in the TIGIGI model is to turn your Good Idea into a Great Idea. This involves aligning your idea with all other existing ideas out there that are related to your opportunity or potential solution as well as engaging the influencers — the people who have a significant influence on the idea and are otherwise impacted by it. It’s about preparing to get alignment for your idea with anyone you need to work with before you consider this idea a great one. It’s about communicating your idea, seeking feedback, and gaining support. It’s about building relationships, fostering collaboration, and creating a shared vision.

For larger ideas, this stage could involve a more sophisticated level of strategic planning and stakeholder management. It’s about understanding the landscape, knowing who the key players are, and aligning your idea with their needs and expectations. It’s about creating a compelling narrative around your idea and rallying support for it.

Conclusion: The Journey from Thought to Great Idea and Beyond

In conclusion, the TIGIGI model provides a clear and versatile framework for turning any thought into a great idea. But remember, developing a great idea is just the first step in effective leadership. Once you have your great idea, you need to create a crystal-clear plan, continue to develop connections around the idea and plan, and then put in the hard work to ensure that everyone has what they need to accomplish the idea. Finally, you need to take the responsibility to see the idea through to implementation.

By following these steps, you can develop great ideas that are not just actionable but also aligned with your environment and capable of creating a significant impact. Remember, becoming great at leadership takes time and intentional practice. But with the TIGIGI model and a commitment to effective leadership, you have a clear roadmap for turning any thought, big or small, into a great idea that can be put into action.

Join Our Free Live Webinar for More Insights

If you’re a business owner feeling overwhelmed, unsure of where to start, or struggling to build a workable roadmap, our upcoming webinar, “Action-Based Leadership: The Key to Unleashing Your Epic Ideas,” is designed for you.

This webinar will delve deeper into the concepts of Action-Based Leadership, helping you understand the difference between leadership and management, and why leadership is a process accessible to everyone. You’ll learn from real-life examples of successful leadership initiatives that started with a well-defined idea and were guided by a comprehensive plan.

Not only will we share the steps to implement a great idea we will share 21 proven solutions that every business owner needs, so you have 21 “great ideas” ready to go. You’ll also participate in a Q&A session. After the session, attendees will have an opportunity to take the Silver Bullet assessment and learn specific three things that they can start doing tomorrow to achieve their business goals.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to transform your leadership skills and unleash your epic ideas. To register, please visit our event page.