Most companies don’t starve, they drown

I’ve had literally dozens of conversations this month with companies preparing for 2015.  In many cases, it’s already clear that their eyes are bigger than their stomach.

In the planning phase – of any initiative, time period, fiscal year or otherwise – everything is possible.  Few things feel out of reach.

In the isolation of your offsite or leadership team meeting or closed-door planning meeting, the reality of execution, time limitations and triage don’t always chime in.

But once you get back to work, have you bitten off more than you can chew?

This isn’t a case against being agile, nimble, creative and proactive about new ideas.  It’s not a warning against being aggressive and getting more done.

But rarely do companies go out of business because they ran out of ideas.  They fail because they didn’t focus on the ideas that really mattered.

You’ll never run out of shiny objects.  The frustrating reality is that you can’t chase them all.

Keep the top of your idea funnel wide open.  Just make sure where you actually focus & execute keeps your head above water and moving forward.