Bring the Plan

This happens fifty times a year in my world: a mid-level or upper-level employee (but not the ultimate decision-maker) has an idea. They share that idea with their boss. Their boss likes it (sometimes they don’t like it, but that’s a different challenge). The boss agrees to take action on it. Then nothing happens, and the person who brought the idea is everything from annoyed to disappointed to furious. 

Bring. The. Plan. 

An idea is fine, but a plan is something we can take action on. 

Do not count on someone who’s running an entire org. to hear your great idea, fully internalize it, invest other stakeholders, turn that idea into action steps, then get others invested in it, roll it out to everyone, and then hold people accountable to executing it. 

Do you see how insane that is? 

Bring the plan to the first meeting. Even in draft form. If you need to get permission first, or if you just don’t want to spend too much time on designing something that might not take off, frame it like this. 

“Hey, I know we’re meeting tomorrow. In that meeting, I’d love to share three ideas I have around how we can do X, Y, and Z things more effectively. Is it okay if I put a draft plan together and share it with you for feedback? If you like what I came up with, I’d be thrilled to run lead on making it come to life.” 

You’re busy, but likely your boss is busier. Make whatever it is easier for them by doing the leg work on the front end and then the execution on the back end. 

And definitely do not simply float an idea to the person in charge of dozens if not hundreds of different things and expect that they’ll take it and run with it. Even if they truly want to, make it easier for them by doing most of it yourself.