Ideation involves the process of generating new and ingenious ideas with the potential of taking your business into higher levels. This is the opening step towards a successful venture. At the same time, it isn't easy as one can stick to an idea for a really long time, even after it is no longer viable or effective. In this post, we'll look at the very art of ideation and talk about why killing the idea might be just as important as making it.
Why Killing the Idea Matters
As entrepreneurs, our tendency is to love our ideas and believe that they are the only way to our success. The reality is not all ideas are winners; on multiple occasions, sticking with them will hold us back. Letting go of the idea can be pretty challenging in a situation where the time, effort, and other attached resources are on your mind. However, a time does come when an idea has to be let go in order for others with much more promising ends to be taken up. This keeps the team focused on productive ideas and saves its priceless time and resources from being unnecessarily wasted.
The Fine Art of Ideation
One will have to learn this art through some of the greatest ideas ever presented in relevance to your business. It is a very creative process, inclusive of brainstorming, idea generation, and innovating; however, it also teaches one to be open to new ideas and letting go of those ideas which are not working. Here are some of the ways in which you can embrace this art of ideation and generate the best ideas for your business:
1. Start with a clean slate: In the beginning, while you start ideating, the slate should be clean. By that it means one should not have any notions or biases in mind. The ideation process shall always be approached with an open mind and ready for all new and radical ideas to jump into the fray.
2. Brainstorming: Brainstorming is an activity whereby a lot of ideas have to be generated very fast. Do join in yourself as leader and make sure all participants develop other people's ideas. Remember, no idea is too crazy or too small.
3. Evaluate—If you have a list of ideas, then it's time to go through and brainstorm over them. Observe each idea without bias and consider what kind of impact it can provide your business. Can it be done? Will it be budget-friendly? Will it drive you towards your goal?
4. Let go: The thing is that in the assessment of each idea, one has to let that go which doesn't seem feasible or effective. It's pretty hard for one to get rid of their baby, but you must learn to focus your time and resources on ideas with the highest potential for success.
While ideation can never be replaced, for it's a very critical process for any business eyeing innovation and growth, equally important is recognizing when an idea isn't working and knowing when to let it go. Actually, it is only when one embraces the art of ideation and learns to let ideas go that the real best ideas can ever be generated for any business, without wasting time and resources on non-feasible or non-effective ideas.