Suppose you want to continue to grow and change and be a person who thinks beyond the walls of organizational boundaries. If that’s your aim, you should have a Big Idea you’re workshopping and using to secure meetings with people who interest you.
A frustrated leader named Sam called for help figuring out what to do next because he was upset with his current manager. Sam didn’t feel appreciated and wasn’t experiencing his job in a way he thought was fulfilling.
When we looked at Sam’s current situation, we asked him, “If you were the boss or owner of the business you are in today, what would you do to make a large impact…what is your BIG IDEA for the business that you think would create real impact long term?”
Instead of articulating a great and innovative idea, Sam started complaining about the status quo at his job. “They don’t listen to me. They don’t like my idea. My boss doesn’t like me. My team won’t follow my lead.” After a short time, I asked Sam how he had tried to present his ideas to improve things. It turns out Sam had never tried to give his ideas. He just took the cues of the room and never stepped through his fears to speak up and be heard. Sam was afraid that no one would take him seriously. He was worried they wouldn’t listen and he would lose credibility.
To help people like Sam, who might one day leave his employer without having any critical conversations to find alignment, we asked him how likely he is to go in the near term. Sam said he was ready to leave for greener pastures soon. Because changing jobs is a highly stressful life event that can spur more problems than solve them, we had a challenge for Sam. If he is going to leave and hasn’t tried to voice his ideas and opinions, he owes it to himself and the company to have the right discussion beforehand.
We like to use the Big Idea concept when you’re looking to expand your opportunities, connection, and network. Using your experiences, strengths, and areas of development, what are the Big Ideas to make a big impact in your current situation?
What is the business case for change if your Big Idea requires it? You need to treat your Big Idea as a project that deserves real attention and detailed analysis and gain feedback from others inside your organization and, more importantly, outside. Sam’s idea was to sell more products through e-commerce and build a brand that could live online only.
Sam started with the premise and scenario for success. He included revenue projections and profit tied to the investments needed. He made a real business case. Sam also took this business plan to non-traditional players that didn’t compete with large branded firms that had already built online direct-to-consumer brands. He learned a ton from these meetings – what he had right, what was missing, and the best practices he should incorporate into his plan.
During these meetings about his Big Idea, which was energizing to Sam, he learned and met people he had never had the opportunity to meet. These new connections he met were incredibly generous and gave feedback on his Big Idea. When someone is busy, sought after, and highly accountable professionally, getting to speak into a low-stakes (for them!) new idea is fun. It’s almost like a sport, where they can remember the love of the game and why they got into business in the first place. Being able to invaluably shoot from the hip about a nebulous, unformed project in their wheelhouse makes them feel relevant, smart, and useful.
Some people Sam met were more helpful than others. Still, Sam gained something from every experience, even if it was only practice in articulating his idea to a new person. These repetitions improved his Big Idea and built confidence in his skills to create open networks, share ideas with people he had never met, and adapt his message to differing interests.
After spending a few hours per week over five weeks nurturing this Big idea, Sam finally gathered the courage to bring the idea to his company. After several trial runs on delivering the Big Idea, he asked his boss for a meeting. After the boss was an hour late and gave him 15 minutes instead of the planned 45, Sam was frustrated. But he had worked hard to reach this point and found he enjoyed sharing his Big Idea.
He also remembered one of the CareerTruths. It’s important to give this role your best; if you can’t align on the go-forward plan, you have the right to leave. So after waiting and feeling the pressure build, Sam charged into his boss’s office and articulated his idea in a well-thought-out pitch that lasted 11 minutes. He gave enough pertinent details and a plan for the next steps. He closed the meeting and said, “If we don’t implement this plan, I don’t think you need me here. I will need to look elsewhere.”
Sam’s boss leaned back in his chair and stared at him. He tossed the stapled pages of Sam’s presentation onto the desk, threw his glasses across the desk, looked up at Bob, and said, “It’s about damn time.”
With a broad smile, he said, “This is great, and we will want to move on this project sooner rather than later!”. His boss was excited to hear all the work Sam put into his idea. His passion, use of the open market to validate his thesis, the details of the business case, and the relationships he built for himself and the company were all valuable assets to his boss.
They collaborated over the next few weeks to bring the project to life. Sam would lead the initiative and earn a promotion. Five years later, Sam is still with the company and has unleashed a new skill set for creating more Big Ideas inside/out and outside/in. Many leaders he met with on his first Big Idea now come to him for his opinions, and their companies have courted him.
Ideas are the currency of our working lives. Big ideas challenge the status quo, prompting improvements and change. The idea must be several degrees beyond the current state of the company or industry to be considered big and innovative. This idea should connect to your current state or job, yet reach out into spaces beyond the company’s walls that allow you to learn and for others to perceive you in a new way.
Use your Big Idea to gain meetings and connections you might not otherwise be able to set up. When you ask for an appointment directly or through others, lead with the fact that there is a big project you are working on, and you’d like feedback. Be a professional and prepare well so that when you interact with others, your Big Idea is taken seriously and given real consideration. Ask for meetings with people who you are not in your current circles. Consider people who are carrying out the idea in other industries or spaces. Go beyond your comfort zone to engage people without regard for title or whether you are good enough. Big Ideas, by nature, should make you stretch and be uncomfortable. This discomfort allows you to kill the fear that holds you back.
If you’re unhappy in your job, make sure to workshop a Big Idea and see if you can drum up an opportunity that is life-giving to you and serves your current company, too. The Big Idea is a key tool to innovate in your career and shift into new roles or spaces. Never go on an interview or networking occasion unprepared to discuss the Big Idea or ideas you are working on today. Having something fresh will set you apart.
Your Big Idea can get you any meeting if your Big Idea is right. Be fearless. You will do some things well and others poorly. Continue to ask for feedback. Live market feedback is the most useful way to know your value. Never stop having Big Ideas throughout your career, no matter the job, company, leadership, level, title, or season. Be bold.