Guest Post by Mark Miller

Mark Miller - Leaders Made Here

Sometimes, the effort required to achieve a desired outcome is just not worth it.

Recently I’ve been thinking and writing about why some ideas are widely embraced, and others fail to make a difference. Obviously, many factors determine the traction an idea has in the world; perceived value, awareness, and approachability all matter, but I think there’s at least one more factor — effort required to adopt.

Every time we encounter a new idea, we rarely move forward without asking:

“What is required of me in order to embrace this idea and put it in play in my world?”

This question is closely linked with the idea of perceived value. However, perceived value may not be enough to spark my action; I may understand the value of a strong body, but I may not want to expend the effort to make it so.

If you have an idea that you believe can have impact, you will have to be sure the effort required generates appropriate return to the end user of your product/service/idea. When it comes to change, people are extremely reluctant unless the promised return is significant – to them!

If you are having trouble getting your ideas adopted, put yourself in the shoes of your target audience and ask:

What do I have to do to enjoy the benefits promised?

If the demands are too great, you only have a few choices: reduce the effort required, find a way to increase the return, or both! If you fail to respond, your idea is doomed regardless of its inherent value.

Think big!

Leaders Made HereAbout Mark Miller

Mark Miller is the best-selling author of 6 books, an in-demand speaker and the Vice President of High-Performance Leadership at Chick-fil-A. His latest book, Leaders Made Here, describes how to nurture leaders throughout the organization, from the front lines to the executive ranks and outlines a clear and replicable approach to creating the leadership bench every organization needs.

Follow Mark on Twitter @LeadersServe.