Innovation Funnel
Not every idea. Not all at once.
Everyone loves the beginning of an idea - the energy lifts, and for a moment it feels like this one might change everything. Then reality comes and the idea joins a queue of other ideas, all half-owned by people already carrying too much.
Here is what we keep getting wrong about innovation: we treat it as one job. It is at least three.
Some people see what could be. Their gift is the open mouth of the funnel - opportunities, ideas, possibilities. Others are the builders of the ‘maybes’. They can take one idea and they return with something you can test, touch and refine. And some people are finishers. They bring the proven idea into action - reliably, repeatedly, and in ways that work.
When one person seeks to do all three and they will risk exhaustion. Let people work in their skillset, trusting others to do the same, and the whole process comes sustainable.
The second thing we get wrong is believing every good idea deserves action now. Healthy innovation cultures choose a few ideas and park the rest. When capacity opens, it re-enters the funnel, often better for the wait. The question is not whether a team has enough ideas. The real question is whether you trust each other enough to hand an idea on - and to let some ideas wait.
The Innovation Funnel
One process. Many talents. Not everything at once.
Three crafts. One funnel.
Visionaries
They fill the funnel with opportunities, ideas and possibilities. Without them, there is nothing to build. Their job is done well when the funnel is rich — not when every idea ships.
Prototypers
They take a chosen few ideas and make them testable. Quick experiments, honest feedback, fast iterations. Some prototypes advance, some get parked — both outcomes are wins.
Implementers
They carry proven ideas into the world — reliably, repeatably, at scale. The idea only becomes real value because someone excels at execution and follow-through.
