Translating Good Ideas into Action

The prolific Admiral James G. Stavridis has another excellent article out today, about how to translate good ideas into action.  It is succinct, practical, and wise.  Go ahead, follow the link--it will take all of two minutes.

Stavridis summarizes the process in four steps:

1. Seeing a problem that needs correcting.
2. Determining a reasonable solution.
3. Packaging the solution, idea, or concept with a concrete proposal.
4. Understanding that to see your ideas achieve traction, you have to be willing, in almost every instance, not to get all the credit for the concept.

I am really glad to see one of the military's most senior officers write an article like this.  Stavridis does not hold would-be "disruptive thinkers" in contempt, nor does he unleash them with no guidance into Twitter and the blogosphere where they will only get frustrated and burn out.

On the contrary, he takes them under his wing and mentors them.  What a novel idea!  He offers wise advice from a senior perspective on how to do something purposeful and effective with all that creative energy.