The 40 Ideas Trap

I have forty+ ideas in my innovation pipeline.

That's the issue.

Each sparkles with possibility.
Each could work.
Each deserves attention.

That's why I'm stuck.

We celebrate ideation and brainstorming as the core of innovation. But here's what nobody tells you: having too many good ideas can be more dangerous than having too few.

Here's what happens:

When managing forty ideas:
• Each one demands resources
• Each needs validation
• Each requires courage to let go
• Most importantly, each good idea becomes an excuse to avoid committing to a great one

The real work of innovation isn't generating more ideas...

It's developing the discernment to know which ones to discard.

Here's idea #27.

It's an AI-powered system that could transform team collaboration. The research looks promising. The technology is feasible. The potential ROI is solid. By most measures, it's a good idea.

Last week, I killed it.

Not because it was flawed, but because it was merely good.

Good ideas are the enemy of great ones.

Every idea you keep alive demands something from you. It requires not just resources, but also mental bandwidth. It's the voice that says "we should work on that instead." It's the constant context-switching to keep multiple possibilities alive.

With forty good ideas, you can find a reason not to fully commit to any of them. There's always another option to explore or validate, or a better direction.

Most innovation pipelines become stagnant here.

Real innovation leadership isn't about generating more ideas — we have AI for that. It's about developing the discernment to recognize which ideas to discard so others can thrive.

For me, this meant developing three challenging questions:

1. Will this enhance our team's impact?
2. Could this change our company's data usage?
3. Would killing this project free up resources for something more valuable?

These aren't just filters...
They're tools against mediocrity.

If it's not a clear "yes," it's a "no."

Since I implemented this approach, my innovation pipeline has shrunk from looking at forty ideas to just three. Mental clarity has never been better. Execution feels inevitable.

Here's the truth about innovation:
It's not about having more ideas.
It's about having the courage to focus on just a few of them if not just one.