Becoming an idea person
There are four things you must master to be known for your ideas:
- You must have interesting ideas.
- You must find clever ways to describe those ideas.
- You must put the ideas where people can see them.
- You must interact with others to connect and spread your ideas.
(If you’re seeking a guide on how to do these things well, I recommend Vanessa Errecarte’s new book Valuable & Visible).
You learn these things by observing
How can you get better at these things?
A certain amount is instinct. Some people are better at ideation than others. Some are good with words or pictures or public speaking. Some are natural at online social interaction.
But I don’t think you can just follow a set of exercises — in part because you cannot do well at these skills by copying others.
To get better at having ideas, genuinely connect with generous idea people. A university is a great place to do that. So is a think tank. So is a creative agency. Spend time around people who are focused on ideas, and you’ll nurture your own idea muscles.
To get better at packaging ideas, get a mentor. Bounce your ideas back and forth. See what is working and what can be improved. Idea development is a discipline that makes the difference between an idea and a spreadable idea.
To put your ideas in the world, you must find a place to build followers, such as LinkedIn, Instagram, or Substack.
And to connect, you must spend time there and interact with others. Some people feel unnatural doing this. Some find it a waste of time. It takes time to build up connections, and doesn’t feel like work. But if you ignore these connections, who do you think is going to talk about and spread your ideas.
Not everybody is cut out for this stuff. And it takes a while.
You might call it a life’s work.
Is it your life’s work?