I HAVE been with many people who generate great ideas in meetings or discussions, but then typically nothing happens after that initial burst of enthusiasm.
Most great ideas remain undeveloped because people don’t have the courage, make the time or risk their resources to take action.
Whether you are an entrepreneur or a corporate executive, converting an idea into reality, notwithstanding the required investment of time and money, is an incredibly difficult task.
You must own the responsibility regardless of the circumstances. No one will ever understand your idea or the dynamics associated with it, like you do.
Perhaps this is why Jimmy Dugan, the character Tom Hanks plays in the movie “A League of Their Own”, says in a scene: “…it’s supposed to be hard. If it was easy, everyone would do it”.
This past week, I had to own and take responsibility for an idea.
About a year ago, I met the incredibly talented and charming David Rocco.
Rocco, for those who may not know, is a Canadian-Italian executive producer, best-selling author, celebrity chef and host of several internationally syndicated television series.
He is most known for producing and hosting the television series David Rocco’s Dolce Vita. In Malaysia, you can see his shows on Nat Geo People.
Through our serendipitous meeting, we connected and over the course of last year built a friendship. As we spoke and communicated, we often discussed the possibility of a new series called “David Rocco’s Dolce Southeast Asia” or even “Dolce Malaysia”.
About three weeks ago, he called and told me that he was going to be in Singapore on a shoot for a client and he had time to come to Kuala Lumpur to chat about work. He asked if I was available for this.
Of course, I said yes to my favourite TV chef.
Consequently, last week had been hectic with meetings, an amazing private dinner at my bistro restaurant D’Legends in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, and an incredibly successful public event at Sheraton Petaling Jaya.
The reason I said yes and was willing to get my entire team involved was not because I was a fan. It was primarily because his passion and devotion to what he does is totally infectious.
My EQTD Consulting team for this project, Pamela Fong and Ganesh Nair, together with my restaurant team, Zahid Nayan, Saiful Sarkar and Mus Sattar, may not necessarily thank me for the incredible pressure that was placed on them as we frantically worked on these events.
But, they were totally engaged, and got swept away by Rocco’s impassioned energy and vision.
The marketplace today is fiercely competitive. This requires you to not only have good ideas, but the necessary drive to convert your own vision, or someone else’s, into reality.
If you are not doing either of this, it is vital that you re-examine your purpose-drive, and what you stand for.
My work with Rocco reinforced my belief that you must always be innovative and embrace an entrepreneurial attitude with your work.
This is the surest way for growth and opportunities for yourself, the people you lead, and the clients you serve.
How do you do this? I would start by asking you to actually believe in yourself.
Remember that every entrepreneur has to take ownership of his decisions, and you cannot handle the consequences of your actions until you believe in yourself enough.
Accountability requires you to be dedicated one hundred per cent to finishing the work you promised to do.
For example, Rocco is a celebrated international personality with a global footprint. But, he committed himself to be available for a private dinner at my small restaurant in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur.
There were unexpected challenges like the lack of ingredients or unfamiliar kitchen equipment.
There were also linguistic barriers with my kitchen team. But armed with the self-belief that he could sort everything out, he just went about his business without any problems, and with great care and affection for my team.
The next thing you need to do is embrace risk.
Any entrepreneur will tell you that risk is your permanent bedfellow when you forge a new idea. When you accept that all your endeavours have an element of risk, your approach to any action or decision is grounded on purpose.
When things do not go according to plan, you will stay focused on the mission at hand. Again, Rocco showed this over the past few days in Kuala Lumpur. He was focused on making his trip here worthwhile for his business.
But his commitment to manage any unexpected risk as he navigated the process of getting things done, was the main reason he was able to convert his ideas into reality.
So, if you want to be successful at work, be like David Rocco. Be passionately devoted to your ideas and be entrepreneurial.
Shankar R. Santhiram is managing consultant and executive leadership coach at EQTD Consulting. He is also the author of the national bestseller ‘So, You Want To Get Promoted?’