There are over 2000 business and articles on this website. They cover virtually any area of importance and are quite insightful. One central theme in these articles is that we provide you with empirical material that inspires you to think a certain way. However, there is a trap most people fall into unawares. You see, it is easy to bask in the glory of the goodness you feel when you get inspired by a powerful piece of information. In essence, so many people literally stay at that level – I call it a place of sense knowledge. It is a place where knowledge just stays in your head and you do not appropriate it; in other words, you dwell in and with ideas and never take action. In this article, I want to share some tips on how you can move from ideas to execution.
Set Definite Goals And Timelines
When an idea dawns on you it generally starts as a hotspot of numerous possibilities. It is at best unrefined and would need to be fine-tuned over time. Let me use relatable examples, as I shall be throughout this article. Let us suppose an idea dawns on you that you want to start a poultry project. You can breakdown the execution into several areas e.g. research, site identification and preparation, resource mobilization, first batch chicks booking, and so on. You can then set clear goals with timelines attached e.g. site identification and preparation to be completed by 30 April 2021. Doing that not only structures your execution but most importantly primes your mind to be conscious that something has to be done by a certain time. Moving from ideas to execution cannot occur smoothly without first of all setting definite time-bound goals.
Regular Monitoring And Evaluation
Once you have done the above you must regularly monitor and evaluate. The goals and timelines inform the key performance areas that you will monitor and evaluate and when. Given the earlier example, that would mean when April 30th comes you have to stop and see how far you have gone. Did you manage to identify and prepare the site? Did you even start at all? If not, why? If you did not finish, why? Asking yourself such questions helps you make informed decisions on what to do next. You do not have to do intricate monitoring and evaluation frameworks if you can go right ahead. However, the basic thing is to take periodic stock of how the realization of the goals is unfolding.
Taking And Or Assigning Responsibility
If what has to be done is wholly down to you then you are responsible. It is just that taking individual responsibility requires discipline. If it so happens that what has to be done entails several people then individual responsibilities must be well-defined and communicated from the onset. This helps zone on who exactly is responsible for any deliverable. Even when you are kind of riding solo you obviously cannot do everything alone. Thus, you will have to at least delegate some form of responsibility to some people. For example, you want a chicken coop design that means you would have to specify to the designer or the provider the timeline in which they must deliver. I am sure you get the drift – do not let any deliverable hang in the air without clarity on who is really responsible.
Be Accountable To Someone You Would Not Want To Disappoint
Then we get into two somewhat related tips because they both deal with accountability. You must have someone or some people who can take you to account at any point. That is why understudying someone or having a business mentor is of utmost importance. The idea is to have someone who can objectively, strictly or ruthlessly assess your progress at any given point. The choice of who to choose is wide open but if you really want to see results let be it someone or people who will not tolerate any slackness. It can even be your parent, sibling, friend, lover, spouse, and so on – it must be someone whom you cannot bear disappointing or giving excuses. It sounds quite simple but it actually conditions you to deliver results as should be.
Put Yourself On The Spot – Publicly
This is a trick that I have seen to work because I use it all the time. When I want to materialize a big idea that is a bit out of my comfort zone I put myself on the spot. Here is what I mean – I publicly make it known that I am working on something. When people know they end up occasionally checking how far I have progressed. For example, you want to write a book; you can get a book cover designed then you probably post that on social media. When people see what you are up to they will most likely periodically check on where you are at any point.
This has the effect of putting pressure on you to get it done to avoid public excuses or embarrassment. It is not meant for everything though as some things might not need to be publicly revealed. Plus it might not work for everyone too; tends to work for people whose consciences are wired to not want to fail something they publicly committed to doing. It has worked for me though and it can for you too.
This can all be made easy by doing one thing at the very beginning – strategic planning. If you can come up with a strategic plan from the moment ideas dawn on you then that is a good starting point. This is all takes to get used to; the more you do the more you get primed to always execute your ideas. You can start with simple daily tasks and you will see yourself being a DOER all the time. Zimbabwe now needs action, doers who transcend mere talk.
