You have a super idea about a way to make things better.

That’s a great start.

But that’s all it is.

Think about all the ideas you’ve had, or that your colleagues or friends have had, that went nowhere.

The proof will come when you put your idea into practice and someone is getting value from it.

When people adopt your idea and make it real. That’s when the benefits will start to be realized.

That’s what will make you a changemaker.

But…

People don’t move just because you want them to, hope them to, or tell them to.

There’s often a disconnect between the people with the idea, those with the authority to say “yes,” and the implementation of the idea.

Ideas can happen with the many, but my experience has been that most of the ideas that actually receive consideration, come from the few.

Decisions happen with the few.

Implementation (the work of project teams) happens with the few.

Adoption happens with the many.

To activate an idea takes effort.

On the idea part (imagining, conceiving), the decision part (getting to yes), the implementation part (designing, building, deploying), and the adoption part (engaging, educating, and otherwise helping people through transition).

We need effort on the many.

This is at the foundation of making change happen.

The idea is the easy part.

Have a great week!