Turning Ideas into Actions

Every person has a role to play in the success of the team. There will be things that a person is naturally good at, while they struggle with other things, but that’s where someone else can step in. High-performing teams have figured out how to distribute the workload based on individual strengths. They are able to smoothly move from the idea generation stage all the way through to project completion. Ideas are great, but they’re only useful if your team acts on them, which is why you need to figure out what each person’s role is in this process.

For example, there are some employees who are really creative and can come up with a lot of innovative ideas, but they may not be as adept at executing those ideas. Someone else on the team may be really good at getting people excited about the idea, helping with buy-in. Then those who are more detail-oriented can step in and carry the idea through to completion. Each person plays an integral role in turning the idea into reality. We need idea people just as much as we need procedure people. The key is to have individuals in each area so that you can utilize everyone’s strengths.

This requires an understanding of what is needed for each stage of the process so that everyone can get their respective assignments. The leader of the group helps with this by delegating tasks to those who are best suited for them, acting as the liaison between team members who may not work as closely together, and verifying that actionable insights or any procedural changes are communicated clearly. The leader often contributes to multiple stages of the process, but they know when to step back and allow someone else to step up.

The most effective ideas are the ones that are put into practice. If you know that something is your strong suit, then you can volunteer to contribute to that area. On the other hand, if you know that you are not as gifted in that area, you might allow someone else to step up instead. Sometimes people overload themselves by volunteering for additional tasks because they think they’re being helpful to the rest of the team, when in reality, this can take away from their efficiency and productivity. Know your own strengths and the strengths of your team members so that you can collaborate effectively on turning ideas into actions.

-Meghan Slaughter