Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality

Many small creative teams and start-up companies also suffer from unclear goals. A popular fix is to have regular ten-minute “standing meetings” at which the team reviews the current milestones and deadlines for progress. Another best practice is to have the list of major milestones up on the wall, visible to all. Just a quick check-in—or a glance

Taking and organizing extensive notes aren’t worth the effort.

“hoarding information is an integrity violation,” making the case that failing to share a best practice with your team or department was essentially akin to stealing from the company.

impossible feats become more possible through the application of simple convictions and practical methods like following up—rather than, say, genius.

Rather than invite consideration of change at any time, many creative teams set up periodic meetings throughout the development process called “challenge meetings.” In a challenge meeting, anyone is invited to ask and answer questions like “What doesn’t make sense with our current plan?” “What are we missing?” and “What should change?”

Constraints serve as kindling for execution. When you’re not given constraints, you must seek them.

Brainstorming should start with a question and the goal of capturing something specific, relevant, and actionable.

I imagined the utility of walking into a physical, three-dimensional to-do list and mood-board every day.

While it can be psychologically and financially difficult to depart from the race toward conventional rewards after a lifetime working with one mind-set, doing so is imperative to succeeding in the long term. Otherwise, you will struggle to sustain your long-term projects amidst the desire to be validated in the near term.