Introduction: Leading a conversation about your business idea requires that
you've thought it through yourself, first. Such ideas are always improved
when they are thought through with other people.
This tool is an outline designed
to guide you through a presentation of the key elements of your business idea.
Articulating your business idea clearly is critical to having your people gain
a solid understanding of your game plan. Doing so with passion is very important.
If you're going to excite their energy, inspire their imaginations and
get their minds around the problems of execution, you will have to be clear
and compelling, which is what we mean by passion.
We do not mean holding pep
rallies or being histrionic, but communicating that you are serious enough about
your business idea to be dedicated to it, that you believe it is so important
to the business that implementing it well is your primary goal.
You will have
the most impact by having the idea be fresh and tangible rather than a remote
abstraction (“we want to deliver the right widgets, that conform to our
customers needs, before their deadline, every time,” rather than, “our
game plan is for you to give 110% every day, because we’re all about happy
customers!”).
For it to be fresh for them it will have to be even more
so for you, as a leader. Obviously, you need to take the time and care necessary
to think it through for yourself, before you can share your idea with your people
in a way that communicates your passion, dedication and commitment. I can not
stress enough how important it is to make the time to do this sort of thinking;
if you aren’t dedicated enough to the success of your business to do this
right, how can you expect your people to be committed to it in a way that will
ensure their dedication to your idea?
Often the idea is deeply grasped by the founder and possibly a few close associates.
In some companies it is never fully expressed in terms of the value proposition
and the core assumptions upon which it is built. It is the full understanding
of the basic assumptions of the enterprise that allows some executives to problem
solve intuitively or to think creatively about the business.
When the broader team grasps the
implications of the same assumptions, they too will have the capability to act
within the strategic context of the business. Until then, they can only be hired
hands, unable to fully partner in the success of the business. Your leadership
can enroll them in the brain trust of your company. Can you afford to do less?