Execution matters, so do ideas!
Currently, as you may already know, there’s a community movement that promotes execution over ideas. To give you context, advocates of this movement say that execution is everything and that ideas don’t matter. They also say ideas are only worth it when they get executed. And this is where I partially disagree, and I think this claim is logically flawed. Of course, I think good execution matters, but so do good ideas! What you are executing on matters too! However, this “Execution matters, ideas don’t matter” notion carries the wrong message that could potentially hinder innovative ideas, especially from a newbie context.
Execution is not everything! Execution is not the creator, but the tool of the creator. A creator is nothing without their tool, but so does their concept — what they strive to create. Plus, we all should love ideas and respect others who love ideas. Why? Because generating ideas is human nature, and that’s what makes us human!
Now let’s get to the nitty-gritty. There’s good execution, mediocre execution, bad execution, and then there’s good execution over a bad idea. I would say anything other than execution over a good idea is bad execution and is a waste of resources. Bad execution is a result of cloudy thinking and judgment (that again roots back to the origin of ideas). Most importantly, these can cost you so many valuable resources, such as time, people, and money. This is why I advocate that ideas do matter. And it also matters which ideas we say yes to. The reason is good ideas take us on a joyful journey while bad ideas take us on a vicious journey. This is why it matters to notice ideas, pick the good ones and respectfully ditch the bad ones. Why? Because as I mentioned before, when you execute on a bad idea, you kill so many resources without even before you realize it — this is where even quality execution can still be a total waste.
Moreover, if it’s good execution, it’s almost always based on a good idea — a vision that you’d want to achieve and feel the emotions in the end. Otherwise, what are you executing on? To do this, ideas that matter should get converted into strategic and inspirational goals. This gives purpose to people who would wanna achieve these impactful goals. When they find purpose, they enjoy both the journey and the destination, thereby enabling good execution from the beginning. This gives execution the meaning and the why. This is because humans are purpose-driven. When we believe in a great idea that gives us meaning and purpose, we will do our best of the ability to execute that grand vision and be a part of that proud mission. And now think what bad ideas or no ideas can do to a team!
The other thing is innovation. Innovation needs a lot of weird and out-of-the-box thinking. Its best friend is a revolutionary idea from a person who is confident that they wanna make it come true. This is all we need to begin it. Even when it comes to execution, this could be a scenario where we may need to re-think the whole execution model. So when we’re coming up with a new execution model, we need new ideas on how we can make it better! So, when we respect ideas within a community, we promote a culture of innovation. It’s not fair to ‘label’ it as “Execution matters, and ideas don’t”
In summary, when there’s no good idea, execution doesn’t matter — and wise versa. Therefore, we can’t treat these two as mutually exclusive. These two go alongside each other. That’s when the magic happens. That’s when we love what we do. That’s when we make a positive impact in the world. So let’s celebrate both great executioners and impactful visionaries! They create balance!
