Great Quotes: Making Ideas Happen by Scott Belsky
Tanmay Vora
I just completed reading Scott Belsky’s (Twitter: @scottbelsky) book “Making Ideas Happen – Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality”. It is a fantastic book for those who have great ideas but struggle to give those ideas a life. This book bridges gap between the spark of an idea and all that goes into turning the idea into reality.
I read the book with great interest and here are some of the quotes that I particularly liked. I hope these quotes/snippets will help you get the gist of this book and prompt you to read it:
Managing the Work
“The term ’project management’ makes most creative people cringe. Elaborate Gantt charts and byzantine procedures plague bureaucracies large and small. Depending on your approach and your mind-set, the experience of organizing and managing a project can be miserable or deeply satisfying. Nevertheless, ideas are made to happen only as the result of a well-managed workflow.”
On Progress
“The inspiration to generate ideas comes easy, but the inspiration to take action is more rare. Especially amidst heavy, burdensome projects with hundreds of Action Steps and milestones, it is emotionally invigorating to surround yourself with progress.. Why throw away the evidence of your achievements when you can create an inspiring monument to get stuff done? As you successfully reach milestones in your projects, you should celebrate and surround yourself with these achievements.”
On Our Insecurities
“Along the journey to making ideas happen, you must reduce the amount of energy you spend on stuff related to your insecurities.”
On Productivity
“…productivity is not about how efficient you are at work. Instead, your productivity is really about how well you are able to make an impact in what matters most to you.”
On “Project Approach” to Ideas
“Everything in life should be approached as a project. Every project can be broken down into just three things: Action Steps, Backburner Items, and References.”
On Managing Your Energy
“The way you organize projects, prioritize, and manage your energy is arguably more important than the quality of the ideas you wish to pursue.”
On Taking Charge
“You can’t rely on others—especially your managers and clients—to engage your strengths. In an ideal world, managers would constantly be thinking about how to best utilize their people—and clients would always unearth your greatest potential. Unfortunately, the reality is that bosses and clients are as worried about their own careers as you are about your own. You must take the task of marketing your strengths into your own hands.”
On Rewards and Status Quo
“The rewards system of the traditional workplace keeps us on track, in line with deadlines from the higher-ups. If we adhere to it, the deeply embedded rewards system of our adult lives is likely to keep us employed and secure within the status quo. . . However, these tendencies become destructive as soon as we begin to pursue long-term goals or attempt something extraordinary”
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The Series on “Traits of a Collaborative Leader” continues at All India Management Association’s Blog. Here is the second part outlining 6 key traits.