Cultivate Teams, Not Ideas

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@Tom Hazel: I think that rival system can get a lot of user base if they happen to launch first. But if the original site fights back, they win in the end, because they get the loyal people. Though if the rival site is much better, then some people stay and or move there. If the rival site has lots more executing power and hype and marketing, they might become winners if the original site doesn’t have much that kind of muscle. But the original site can still have some users.

Take for example Windows vs Mac. Both have some culture behind them now, so they are competing though both are quite powerful. Linux has been in the minority, but it is gaining muscle through popular server software and open communities. Amiga is struggling and pretty much dead, because it has not much power left and only a small community.

@Jose Perez: Yep, it is about peoples first, then about the other things. Even grease monkey that has an idea can get people around him and start a business. But there are also those grease monkeys that never start. They are so called lost cases in that sense that they just choose to be “only” good workers.

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I’ve been in a dozen companies that slowly died, declined or went belly up because they did not know how to find new ideas or execute them. They ignore the resources in their midst. I have ideas. Other employees have ideas. In every case, their employee base had from hundreds to thousands of years of collective experience. It’s not good enough just to found new businesses on ideas. In my experience, old businesses are where the idea execution is really needed. I see no structure inside any business I have been part of for soliciting, choosing, growing and executing ideas. I see stagnation instead. We are assigned our jobs and there is no budget for the future of the business. I’m an idea person without the execution genes, and it is very frustrating to see one business after another get into severe trouble or die because they could not use my or anyone else’s ideas.

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Good to see other comments besides the usual pile of me-too smucks spamming their blog everywhere…

If you really don’t have anything to offer and you’re starting from the bottom, you need to fight your way up. Learn to code, spend the time getting domain knowledge, work at start ups, work evenings, save some money then quit your job, inspire others to help… do what it takes.

Yeah but how? if people is too young they cant afford to pay for college, or cant afford to quit their jobs because they got tons of student loans to pay, and if they’re older then there’s a family they have to support so it’s the same situation.

You’ll learn little from the average startup since they might be in the same situation you’re but with the funds to give it a shot. Plus you’ll be working for free in most cases, or paid in worthless stock.

And saving money isnt as easy as it sounds, specially in this economy. Or else there wouldnt be so much people trying to get into incubators like Y and techstars.

Finally, you need a faceman. He knows everyone, is able to make, call in or get favors and is able to generate funds. He can smooth over any complaint from an irate client, help with everything the others do and shines when asked to get the impossible done with connections.

Actually this guy is more important than all the others put together

He can get the money, he can get the greasemonkeys, and he can get the business guy, simply because he already knows all of them (and can convince them of joining him) or he knows other people who can provide him with said workers.

If you get this guy you’re SAFE: not only he gets you the people and funds necesary to boot, but also some of his contacts, so if everything fails he can get even more money for another idea you have, or land in another company/startup/project and take you with him.

Problem? they dont grow in trees, and there’s a much bigger chance that he will use you and take over the company both made than actually helping you. After all he’s a player, and you’re not.

If anyone still dubious about my remarks, just check Steve Jobs: here is a guy who cant code nor design, he just smooth-talks his way to the top: got Woz to do all the heavy lifting for him (stealing the credit most of the time) got the people and funds for Next mostly off contacts and yet he makes most people believe he’s the only guy behind all of apple’s products

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Reminds me of this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smartest_Guys_in_the_Room

“Lay hired new C.E.O. Jeffrey Skilling, a visionary joined Enron on the condition that they utilize mark-to-market accounting, which allowed the company to book potential profits on certain projects immediately after the deals were signed, whether or not those projects turned out to be successful.”

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@jonrgrover: Or even if there is a budget for developing new ideas for existing company you work for, then you don’t have the budget. Someone else has some budget while you are still assigned to your job stagnating.

If you have some idea, then that might bring something new on the table, but there is also chances that someone else starts fostering the idea and you have no budget and you are assigned to your job. So it would be important to get a budget, and you could get some from the management, if you get any.

Many times they might think your idea is good but that there is no excess money for it, maybe because someone else got some money and has similar ideas or other ideas and you are assigned to your job. You also don’t have time to make the idea better, because you don’t have a budget.

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As much as I agree with your idea, the US Patent office begs to differ.

Many companies do nothing but sit on piles of patents on ideas. They siphon off the success of others with royalties and court settlements, while doing little to actually further the development of said ideas.

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I completely didn’t include the fact that Writing simple code for a simple cause can make something happen.Individuals that have a hard time with team work and politics may have much to offer and will never have the opportunity unless they capitulate or do it themseleves.Ideas can be under an orginizations nose and they are not letting that individual be part of designing.I was a production tech and software engineer in a Production setting.I worked on analog to digital interface design and had ideas but they were never taken seious.I wanted more,This was Meyer Sound also and Paul Kohut was in charge and even though a HIPPIE owned the company and grandfathered a couple hippies in The head engineer played the education ticket and breeding ticket AT MEYER SOUND.Because of politics and breeding they WILL NOT NOTICE even at Meyer Sound.Better have a PHD or at least a Masters degree.THere are many who have simple degrees and Certificates(LIKE ME)I had a simple job writing code for analog to digital interfaces mostly Assembly language and some Pascal at the time so it was compatible coding and then I want to be a simple part of the design team and I find it is ALL or Nothing.Stress can be a factor quick when you are constantly having to live up to someone elses expectations of you.I left them and went back to construction for a few years and now I am back learning a kind of subroutines and such for Java and Java script and am finding it actually enjoyable even though I am not rich.I am now going to use it for a non profit and that will be fullfiling,screw Brown nosing and STATUS and all that other crap that I honestly ran from.I could not stand the HIERARCHY everywhere I went.Business at such a Large scale Never seems simple and inclusive with few exceptions like GOOGLE,Durie Tangri(attorneys),Facebook,and some other internet companies THAT GET IT and they MINE their ranks for talent and even SCHOOL them before outsourcing or hiring contractors thus pissing off long term(less educated) employees when they feel overlooked.Then SOME of the Old School thinkers can be stuck in an exclusive RUT.These corporations are wondering why there are so many stress claims and they are outsourcing so much Labor.DUH!!THey are ALSO wondering why there has not been many start ups DOUBLE DUH DUH!!Start ups now better have an educated line up with a proven nbusiness model or no risk will be taken.Steve WOZ and Mr Jobs would have been blown out of their Garage now in this climate and APPLE never born,thank goodness they were funded.That was SIMPLE start up and repeating this has not become the NORM.America got out of the Engineer making business and other countries took notes well and are now making sacrifices that will have a pay off.These countries MINE their best minds and they cultivate these future inventors and educate them. I say once AGAIN talent is in some very obscure places.I KNOW there is Talent being wasted on the streets.There are a few rebel coders out here and old analog dogs who have IDEAS and no RESOURCES. Read timgiangiobbe.blogspot.com thanks GOD BLESS ALL

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Interesting discussions in the comments…

Reminds me of something I wrote in my h2g2 days, on Leadership and Management…

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/brunel/A13983537

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Google Wave is a good example of a poorly executed good idea.

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This reminds me of the Russian designer Lebedev (of the Optimus keyboard fame), who argues that a more accurate estimate for the worthiness of any idea in and on itself is probably -$1,000,000 rather than +$20.

See here: http://www.artlebedev.com/mandership/161/ (in English).