What your feelings say about your ideas

As leaders, we need ideas. They are like fuel.

Except there are two problems...

Oftentimes, either we have no ideas at all (problem A), or we have way too many ideas (problem B).

A) When we have none, or no promising ones, this makes us feel sad. Or lost. Or helpless. Or alone.

To cope, we may avoid thinking about it, or distract ourselves with busy work, or pretend we are doing fine, all-the-while masking what’s really going on. Which is, that we are without ideas and we don’t know what to do next.

B) When we have too many ideas, this makes us feel overwhelmed. Or anxious. Or stressed.

To cope we freeze, or shut down, or we go on the attack and blame others, or ourselves, for what is really going on. Which is, that we have an unmanageable volume of ideas competing for our time, attention, and money, and we don’t know what to do next.

Solutions: here's what to do.

First, start by identifying what you're FEELING.

The feeling is often a big clue.

The feeling can point you to the type of problem you face.

• If sad, then you might lack ideas.

• If overwhelmed, then you might have too many ideas.

The good news?

Once you’ve self-diagnosed, both scenarios have solutions.

Solution A: lack of ideas can be addressed through purposeful idea generation. Or brainstorming with others. Or going back over old ideas which were good, but the timing wasn’t right, yet. Sometimes just knowing that you need new ideas is enough to attract them.

Make time to do this work. Set deadlines. Include colleagues and build in accountability. Communicate progress to others who are already invested in your ideas.

Now, sadness becomes interesting information. It tells us we need new ideas. It also means: you can solve this.

Solution B: Too many ideas can be addressed through prioritizing. Gather up all these loose pieces of thinking and ‘should dos’ and ‘stuff’ floating before you and convert the good ones into projects.

Start with a list. Then make sequences, drop in milestones, write down goals and outcomes. Projects get ideas done. Whereas, vague ideas and ‘shoulds’ left to fester in your mind, or on post-it notes, are amorphous and become frustratingly tangled.

Also, notice, that when ideas (even promising ones) are too big, or arrive at the wrong time, they can block the entrance. This happens. It’s normal.

But, don’t get trapped by ideas that can’t or won’t be converted into action. After a while, toss them. Ideas must not squat indefinitely. Give yourself blank space to create something else.

When we set priorities and build projects from our ideas, they move from inert secrets into conspicuous action.

Now, overwhelm becomes interesting information. It tells us we have too many disorganized ideas. It also means: you can solve this.

Feel better?

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