“Getting the right people and the right chemistry is more important than getting the right idea […] To me, the answer should be obvious: Ideas come from people. Therefore, people are more important than ideas.” (Creativity, Inc, Chapter 4, p. 74-75)

Sometimes what is obvious doesn’t seem so obvious until it’s said out loud and clear. All of us, at some point, seek to have a great idea—that revolutionary idea that will change the world. “We need a big idea!” they say. You’ve probably heard this from a boss or coworker. Like many others, I’ve found myself in the position of searching for great ideas, those that generate significant impact or, in the world of social media in which we live, more engagement. Regardless of the medium, we all have ideas all the time; we just don’t know exactly which one is good enough, if there’s even such a thing as a bad idea (personally, I believe that any idea that bears fruit, provides learning, and blesses others along the way is indeed a good idea). Ideas, in general, are thoughts that, whether original or not, usually stem from the need to achieve something or accomplish a task. The premise of having an idea often goes like this: “I need an idea… to solve this.” Even though we are bombarded with ideas all the time, it’s precisely when we need them most, when faced with a challenge, that we feel paralyzed or “out of ideas.” And here’s the question: how do we deal with such a situation, and how do we come up with good ideas?

Ed Catmull, the author and co-founder of Pixar, addresses this question brilliantly and shares from his experience something that, although obvious, few people notice (and that’s exactly why I chose this quote to kick off our new series of articles). When managing people and needing to solve something, our instinct is usually to seek out a great idea. And then we feel paralyzed for not “finding” that great idea, as if it were magically hidden somewhere out there. On the contrary, in everything we do, the focus must always be on people. After all, ideas come from people. As thinking beings with diverse thoughts, the most creative teams are those that have people who complement and push each other. It is through this environment and necessity that the best ideas emerge and, more importantly, are put into practice. The author states that “if you give a mediocre idea to a brilliant team, they will either fix it or throw it away and come up with something better.” (Creativity, Inc, Chapter 4, p. 74) True. A great team can refine an idea and put it into practice.

With Hope Rising®, I’ve been able to see and experience this many times. Our best ideas have blossomed from conversations with incredible people who respect each other and love what they do. The ideas weren’t always the same, but it was through this exchange of thoughts that the best ones emerged. They all started from a problem (how do we solve this? What’s the best way?), but they were driven not by fear, but by the desire to fulfill a dream.

“People are more important than ideas,” yes, in many ways. In the sense that the choice of team members determines the success of your business. In the sense that people and lives matter, and no idea should be bigger than someone's life.

And that’s why today’s reflection is: Great ideas come from great thinkers. Choose your company wisely because the journey (and the company) is more important than the destination.