I sat there, nearly giddy as a young school girl, as the Admiral announced that nearly all of my wants for my division were about to be granted….funding, manpower, training. At that moment when my ideas became reality, I knew exactly how Dr. Frankenstein felt as he screamed, “IT’S ALIVE!! ALIVE I TELL YOU!!”

When you’ve put your heart and soul into an initiative, you can’t help but feel some personal gratification when it comes to fruition. Even, if you don’t get the credit. NOT GETTING THE CREDIT!? What is that about? When something is for the good of the team and/or the organization, it doesn’t make a difference where the credit goes, as long as the initiative gets done. What I’ve found in 25 years of working in (and leading teams) is that ideas have to be set free and enabled to take on a life of their own. Especially if you need others to get the job done. Bringing life to an idea is more about letting go then holding on. Here are the strategies I use to make this happen:

Give It Up

Much like a mother bird tosses her chick out of the nest when it’s ready, so must a good idea to tossed out to the team to be taken up, built on, and given wings. I’ve had a lot of GREAT ideas in my life. I’m not talking just good ideas…I am referring to fantastic ideas! Many of which I’ve held on to way too long. I fed them too long, held them too long, and let them stay around too long. So long, in fact, that (as the idea grew) it got too big for just one to manage but no one knew how to handle it but me (and it wasn’t nearly as cute as it was when it was younger) – resulting in its possible demise (due to it being too hard to handle or my hating it). Holding on too long stifles the overall growth, development, and progression of an idea. Giving an idea up gives it motion, momentum, and creativity – enabling it to move forward.

Talk It Up

If I have thrown an idea out of the nest and allowed it to take flight, I can’t just abandon it. It may sound a bit cliché’ or corny, but I must be the wing beneath its wings by talking it up at every opportunity. Even though I am proud, I can’t run around saying, “Did you see my chick? Isn’t she darling? Don’t you just love her?” Instead, I must support from all sides by gently monitoring where it goes and whispering to all how it is doing, what support it needs, and how others can help the flight. This can be a difficult task. When pride runs too deep, egos run too high, and the wind that gets blown is too fierce, the idea will plummet to the earth and die. A gentle breeze beneath the wings is all that is needed to keep it airborne. Surround it with support.

Prop It Up

Barriers can get in the way of any ideas new flight. It could be a strong gust from another direction or a huge tree right in the path of flight. The question is, what can be done to remove those barriers? Some may be removed through talking it up but some may take a little more savvy. It might require a compromise or to ask something to get out of the way. It might even require you take a chain saw and cut the tree out of the way. Think through the flight plan of this idea, prop it up, and provide as clear of a path as possible.

In a team, the life and flight of an idea might start with you. However, if you want to see it through, it’s important to remember to initiate, don’t lead. Give it up, talk it up, and prop it up – give the idea the support needed for it to fly. If it is a truly great idea, it will. If not, and you take it upon yourself to raise, you might end up with a overweight, 30 year old idea living with you that eats you out of house and home. The choice is yours! I think you’ll find that many hands make for lighter work and greater results.