From ideas to execution

I remember pitching a complex reporting idea to my team a few years back. The concept was excellent: innovative, valuable, and targeted (obviously, because I came up with it!).

The initial excitement was obvious. But instead of working on the idea, we immediately spent three days building a painfully detailed 15-step project plan. We analyzed every potential roadblock, assigned every small task, and built out Gantt charts that looked like building blueprints.

It wasn’t until the project completely stalled when I realized something grim. We had effectively managed the idea into the ground.

Because by the time we finished planning the HOW, we had lost all the energy and motivation to actually execute the WHAT.

The execution paralysis

We are masters of the brainstorm. We love the whiteboard session, the sticky notes, the adrenaline rush of a fantastic idea. Execution feels messy and complicated, but planning feels orderly and productive.

This is a common trap for leaders (and not only), where we substitute action with administration.

We convince ourselves that a detailed plan, perfected and micromanaged down to the pixel, is the only way to mitigate risk. But often, the greatest risk is simply not starting.

And that perfectionist tendency leads to the biggest execution killer of all - micromanagement. We spend ten hours overseeing a task that we could have delegated and trusted someone else to complete in five.

The opportunity cost of control

I have seen this phenomenon happen all the time with ambitious projects.

I recently was on a call where we reviewed a proposal from a Senior Product Manager who had a critical idea for refining our loyalty customer onboarding flow. She spent six weeks designing the perfect internal migration plan. She had stakeholder checklists, rollback contingencies, and beautiful presentation decks. Six weeks of planning. Zero weeks of actual implementation.

She was waiting for the perfect moment, when the plan was flawless, to pull the trigger.

Meanwhile, I know an Engineering Manager who had a similar idea for a different product line. He simply told his lead developer to figure out the first two implementation steps, use the discretionary budget for a quick internal test, and show something that works by Friday.

This approach was messy. They had few challenges with legacy data. The initial process wasn't pretty. But they had 70% of the actual integration done within three weeks and were collecting real user feedback. They learned by doing.

So, the main lesson is this: The perfect plan often hides the fear of starting. And the minute you start trying to control every single variable, you kill momentum.

Execution isn't just action. It’s often the avoidance of unnecessary administration.

3 steps to execute hand-off

If you want a great idea to become a done idea without drowning in micromanagement, you need to simplify the hand-off process.

You need to provide 20% of the instruction for 80% of the results. Here is the framework I use to ensure a project gets momentum and that I stay out of the weeds.

When delegating or starting a new project:

1. Define the North Star (The "Done" State):

What is the single, measurable outcome that defines success? Not the process, the result. 

Bad example: "Audit the inventory tracking process and document all current pain points."

Good example: "Reduce stock discrepancy errors by 10% in the next reporting cycle."

2. Identify the First Three Steps:

What are the absolute minimum actions required to generate momentum and produce something tangible? If the first three steps are complicated, the North Star is too broad. This forces simplification.

3. Grant the License to Be Messy:

Explicitly tell the executor (whether it’s a team member or your future self) that failure is expected in the details, but momentum is mandatory. Give them the budget, the deadline for Step 1, and get out of the way. Trust the person to figure out the 80% between the first step and the North Star.

That third step is critical.

The freedom to be messy and fail in the details is often the fastest path to completion. It encourages independent problem-solving and rapid iteration, rather than waiting for your approval on every tiny decision.

The freedom of momentum

We often treat execution like a precision surgery - delicate, slow, and requiring precise control. We need to start treating it like a sprint.

Speed and direction trump meticulous planning every single time, especially in the early stages of an idea.

Stop managing the process. Focus on the result. The path will be winding, but it will be moving. And movement generates its own energy.

I’m slowly but surely realizing that my biggest job as a leader is not to control the execution of a good idea, but to make sure the execution starts and never stops at all.

My challenge for you this week:

Review your idea backlog.

Don’t plan the first step. Take the first step.

And that’s all for today.

See you next Tuesday.