time to get going

There are two kinds of people, those who finish what they start and so on. --- Robert Byrne

I love the newness of a fresh idea. I love the direction that something totally original takes. Even if the fresh idea gets squashed, there's at least a moment where there's some momentum.

There are two kinds of visionaries - the person that gets big ideas....and then has someone around them that can help make those work. They're the ones who ask questions like, "What's your budget?" and "How many people will need to be involved?" Who they pick to support them is a huge part of the eventual success or failure of that visionary.

The second kind of visionary usually has someone around them that says, "We could never do that" or "there's no way that'll work" and they don't. It's a thin line between someone who helps to reign in stupid ideas and someone who just vetoes everything you attempt.

When I see some of the great leaders that have impacted my life, I can usually also see the person right next to them that really makes things happen. I know some incredibly talented folks out there that have creative ideas that could really amount to something...and nothings really happening. In every case these people with the big ideas are lacking that key secondary person. Some of them have yes men. They have friends that are fanning the flame of a new idea...but they can't really practically help the execution of the idea. Some of them have people who could really help...but they've got this creative A.D.D. that keeps them from focusing on their big idea for more than 18 minutes.

We need some sort of temp agency where you coulc call an office and say, "I need someone with a brain, who can help implement some new ideas...and won't say no to everything....but won't say yes to everything...and will help me to rally people around this new thing."

"Um, I have Sheila....and she can type 78 words a minute"

"No, I don't need typing. I need an assistant visionary"

"Oh, um....Tim is familiar with Word, Publishing and was a construction foreman"

"never mind"

So the question for me is, "what about the non-visionaries?" What if someone isn't a visionary or a great support person? Is it possible that some folks aren't either? Maybe worker bee is a third category. They'd be the folks that help work out the ideas presented by the leader and implemented by their right hand person. Personally, it'd be helpful to know where one fits in such a scheme.

Maybe I'm being presumptuous, but I think many of us want to be a part of something great. So maybe a little time dreaming, a little time figuring out where we fit...and then we start. Could it be this simple?

"If we all did the things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves."

- THOMAS A. EDISON