I came across Balaji Srinivasan's concept of the "idea maze"—the notion that having an idea is easy, but navigating from idea to execution is where the real work happens.

The heavy lifting isn't the initial insight. It's developing deep understanding of all possible paths from concept to reality, anticipating the dead ends before you hit them.

Srinivasan highlights four sources for mapping your maze. As someone working within a large organization, here's how I see them:

  1. Past history: Most ideas have been tried before and died for specific reasons—political, technological, or organizational constraints. Find the senior people who remember. Sharing your idea beats operating in stealth mode.
  2. Analogy: Look for similar initiatives in other parts of your organization. Like buying an old home, imagination is required to see how it applies—if it were obvious, your contribution wouldn't add value.
  3. Theories: Connect with academics studying the problem. Adjust their assumptions for business realities to gain deeper insight.
  4. Direct experience: Put yourself in the maze and stay aware that you're navigating one.
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