How to get your idea to see the light of day

There’s an art to getting your idea to see the light of day. 

Some folks seem to be naturally good at the “socializing the idea” thing. Others try, seem to hit a wall or miss the step they didn’t know existed. 

Here are three tactics I’ve used to get peers, higher-ups, creative teams, operations teams and budget approvers on board with something new. 

Let go of getting sole credit for the idea. Ideas are a team sport. Some of the best creative work is a result of ideas building on each other. Think of your idea as a building block.

Invite others in early. Make them part of the creation, not an observer of it. This includes your product development person. Operations person. Sales person. IT person. 

Don’t cling so tightly to what you’ve created (or thought of) that you feel compelled to force your idea through. When you come from a place of force, desperation or rigidness, that energy works against you. People are drawn to light and upward motion. 

Bonus: Find out what matters most to other departments or team members. Then, frame your idea from THEIR perspective. It goes like this, “Since you lead procurement, I know the new vendor process is a headache. When we choose this new vendor to execute ads, I’ll make sure they respond quickly so we don’t waste your time.”