Ideas are the seeds that blossom into groundbreaking products, services, and solutions. The belief that “ideas are like rabbits” is a long embraced one, it celebrates the notion that the more ideas one generates, the greater the potential for breakthroughs. However, Apple founder and innovator, Steve Jobs astutely observed, the mere abundance of ideas can also breed a dangerous “disease” – the misguided belief that a brilliant concept alone is sufficient for success, without the arduous journey of execution.
The metaphor of ideas as rabbits captivates, conjuring up images of rapid multiplication and boundless potential and just as rabbits are known for prolific breeding (breeding like rabbits), ideas can have the capacity to spawn new thoughts, concepts, and perspectives at an astonishing rate in specific circumstances and in the company of specific audiences.
Idea proliferation through ‘brainstorming’ is often celebrated in creative circles, where such sessions and ideation workshops are designed to unleash a torrent of possibilities, each one building upon the last.
Author and entrepreneur James Altucher eloquently captures this sentiment in his book “Choose Yourself,” stating, “Ideas are the multiplicative force that allows a human to combine, recombine, and create new ideas from old ideas.” This concept also resonates with the concept of “idea sex,” a process of combining existing ideas to generate novel ones attributed to Science writer, Matt Ridley first came up with the concept in 2010 writing a book on the subject called The Rational Optimist as well as speaking at a TED talk under the theory of “Ideas have sex” espoused at the “blue-sky thinking” conference.
Apple’s Steve Jobs also cautioned, that the unbridled multiplication of ideas can lead to a dangerous pitfall – the “disease of thinking that a really great idea is 90% of the work.” So the rabbits metaphor plays in this space again. Overbreeding rabbits can lead to various health issues and diseases for both the mother rabbits and their offspring. Diseases like pregnancy toxemia, uterine cancer, mastitis, exhaustion and malnutrition. For the offspring there is the risk of genetic defects, and weakened immunity.
A Jobs Stanford commencement speech emphasized the immense effort required to transform even the most brilliant idea into a tangible, successful product or service.”There’s a huge gulf,” he proclaims, “between a great idea and its ultimately becoming a phenomenal success in the real world.”
Jobs understood that the path from conception to realization is fraught with challenges, requiring relentless problem-solving, teamwork, and a willingness to make countless tradeoffs and refinements along the way.
Such sentiment echo the words of renowned management consultant Peter Drucker, who described ideas as not dissimilar to babies, in that they need to be born and nurtured. Newborns requires constant care and attention to thrive, an idea must be meticulously cultivated, refined, and executed to reach its full potential.
Jobs warns against the “disease” as a false belief that simply having a great idea is enough – that the mere act of sharing or discussing a brilliant concept is tantamount to success. This misconception can lead to complacency, a lack of follow-through, and a failure to recognize the immense effort required to bring an idea to fruition.
In contrast, Jobs also championed a balanced approach, one that embraced the rapid multiplication of ideas while simultaneously recognizing the necessity of diligent execution. Understanding that true innovation lies not only in the generation of ideas but also in the ability to identify the most promising concepts and nurture them through a rigorous process of refinement, collaboration, and problem-solving.
Guy Kawasaki, author and speaker, states, “Ideas are easy. Implementation is hard.” Akin to “ideas are cheap”. He also emphasizes the importance of execution, noting that even the most groundbreaking ideas are worthless without the dedication and perseverance required to bring them to life. The duality of ideas – their curated multiplication and the necessity of considered execution form the balance that product managers, designers and architects must consider.
So if your thinking is that “ideas are like rabbits” which do you celebrate? The boundless potential of human creativity, or the carefree strewing of concepts without due conisderation for the immense effort required to transform those ideas into tangible successes.
The true path to innovation lies not in the mere abundance of ideas but in the ability to identify the most promising ones and nurture them through a relentless pursuit of excellence, collaboration, and attention to detail per Jobs.
The “disease” of overvaluing ideas be cured, and the full potential of human ingenuity be realized if we accept the tax of execution.
The key message for product managers is to strike a balance between fostering idea generation and ensuring rigorous execution. While the rapid multiplication of ideas is essential for innovation, overvaluing ideas alone can lead to the proverbial falls into the pit.
Execution is King
Here are some ideas that product managers should be considering in this context:
Implement systematic approaches like the SIT (Systematic Inventive Thinking) formula, which provides techniques for acquiring skills and generating original ideas.
- Subtraction: Removing an essential component from a product or service and finding new uses for it.
- Multiplication: Repeating or multiplying a component that was previously considered non-essential.
- Division: Separating a product or service into smaller components and rearranging them.
- Task Unification: Assigning new tasks or functions to existing components.
- Attribute Dependency: Linking two independent attributes or components to create a new value proposition.
Invest time and effort in developing and maintaining some sort of strategic product roadmap that translates the visionary product strategy into actionable plans, defining milestones and timelines aligned with the vision of the product(s) and the business.
Set and agree on clear objectives, priorities, and key performance indicators (KPIs) based on customer needs, market research, and the overall product strategy.
Influence and collaborate on the allocation of resources efficiently, budgets, team members, and resource allocation to maximize value and productivity.
Continuously evaluate and refine your product managemnt strategies based on data-driven decision-making, user feedback, and market dynamics.
