<i><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;">Why isn’t anyone doing anything with my ideas???</span></span></i>

<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;">I’m hearing this lament over and over lately in the groups where I’m working.<img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-11160" style="margin: 8px;" alt="idea ring toss" src="http://leadchangegroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/idea-ring-toss-300x252.jpg" width="300" height="252" /></span></span>

<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;">My question back is: what are YOU doing with YOUR idea?</span></span>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;">Did you toss it out there, expecting others to happily and eagerly adopt it and start working on it immediately?</span></span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;">Or…</span></span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;">Did you chat it up with a few people to test their response? And when their reaction wasn’t unfavorable, did you expect them to start acting on it right away?      </span></span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;">Or…</span></span></p>
<p style="padding-left: 30px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;">Are you passionate enough about your idea to retain ownership of it and actively work it yourself?</span></span></p>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;">Ideas are different from orders and other top-down driven directives or instructions. I see executing against a boss’ command as not being voluntary whereas moving forward with someone’s idea is.</span></span>

<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;">Ideas are thoughts, suggestions, or concepts, which, because they aren’t concrete, make them fragile.</span></span>

<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;">So especially so when they’re tossed out with the unspoken expectation that someone other than the idea-generator will be responsible for turning the concept into reality.</span></span>
<blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;"><em>Everyone is in love with their own idea.</em> ~Carl Jung</span></span></blockquote>
<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;">If you find yourself bemoaning the fact that you don’t see anyone implementing your ideas, consider these three points.</span></span>

<b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;">Beware the unspoken expectation</span></span></b>

<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;">Don’t quietly assume that people will automatically take action on your idea. If it’s truly an idea, people have the freedom to accept or reject it. Even if they like or accept it, that’s no guarantee that they’ll move on it. If your expectations include action, make those intentions known. Talk it out. Clarify. Secure commitment.</span></span>
<blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;"><em>Words do two major things: They provide food for the mind and create light for understanding and awareness.</em> ~Jim Rohn</span></span></blockquote>
<b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;">Be a passionate grower</span></span></b>

<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;">Plant your idea like a good gardener would. Assure the conditions are right. Provide nurturing. Check in periodically. Good ideas can be contagious, especially those where people can clearly see how the outcome makes a positive difference. People may even want to claim your idea as their own!</span></span>
<blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;"><em>Be the one who nurtures and builds</em>. ~Marvin J. Ashton</span></span></blockquote>
<b><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;">Own it</span></span></b>

<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;">If your idea is meaningful and you’re invested in turning the thought into something tangible, make it so yourself. Your heartfelt commitment can serve as a magnet to pull others into your good idea. </span></span>

<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;">And that’s when the real magic happens.</span></span>
<blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #000000;"><em>A pile of rocks ceases to be a rock when somebody contemplates it with the idea of a cathedral in mind</em>. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery</span></span></blockquote>