I’ve been working on two formulas to explain how ideas become reality.

(idea + intent) x (belief + action) = creation

(creation + input) x (output + outcome) = goal

If there is a scientific explanation to these formulas, then I welcome the help validating my hypothesis.

As a “specialized generalist”, some concepts or ideas just pop into my mind. Thankfully, there are people who are smarter than me that can validate my work.

You might be wonder then, what is the purpose of this post?

It’s about teams, creative teams to be specific.

There is a good bit of discussion on “key performance indicators” and “objective key results” in business. John Doerr wrote a book on the subject, “Measure What Matters.” Jeff Gothelf has written several articles on the topic as well.

I’m not going to rehash KPIs and OKRs in this post. John and Jeff have already done an outstanding job on of explaining those topics.

Instead, I’m going to start sharing my thoughts on how stuff gets created by teams.

Ideas become reality

Each person is blessed with creative instincts. I have to think these were developed for human survival.

So, looking at the first formula, creation = idea + intent (belief + action), here is my take. Ideas build on each other, sometime based on improvement and utility. Sometimes novel ideas come to mind.

I get inspired by elegant design. Minimal “flash” and maximum “performance” are concepts that really move me.

In my opinion, two companies that do this well are Apple and Porsche.

So, how does a team get aligned around ideas?

• Firstly, getting them on “paper”.
• Secondly, debating their merits.
• Thirdly, assessing what is possible today versus what is possible in the future.
• Finally, choosing the ideas that can be acted on quickly with low risk and low cost to test their validity.

This is an over simplified list to kick start the next conversation point on intent. Enjoy and please share your thoughts with me!