Partnering with an “Idea Man” by Andre Shinabarger

DAY 19 PARTNERING WITH AN “IDEA MAN”

By Andre Shinabarger

Physician’s Assistant at Grady Memorial Hospital and co-founder of GiftCardGiver.com

As the wife of a man who comes up with approximately 26 ideas per day, life can be pretty interesting. You see, I am the realist in the partnership—I am the one who thinks about what it will take to do something and how are we going to implement any idea. I am the one with a running to-do list in my head. My husband, on the other hand, is an idea man. His best ideas come early in the morning as he drinks his coffee in the shower. His ideas are great, fun, inspiring, and …well…numerous.

As I am sure you can imagine, this can lead to many amazing creative projects on one hand and a lot of tension on the other hand. As we are celebrating our 11-year anniversary this year, I was reflecting on how we have dealt with this tension. We have found a few practical concepts that have turned our differences into a unified strength. There is a way for Jeff to still have his thousands of ideas and me to not get stressed. There is a way that I can practically discuss implementation without squashing his creative mind. I thought I would share a few of these lessons we have learned along the way about how we make this partnership work.

This is for all the realists out there who partner in business or live life with a person who dreams big… always. thinking about budgets and lists of things to do. There are no legs to this idea at this point—it is still just an idea.

An idea person wants to know you (the partner) have thought more about that idea.

Here is where you can research a little and discuss the idea more. Get a better understanding of the full big idea. But remember, it is not time to make a checklist. This is still the time for positive discussion and interest regarding the idea.

WAIT. (And allow the idea to simmer.)

Do not discuss the idea further unless your partner brings it up. If the idea is not brought up again within 2-3 weeks, you can rest assured that the idea is probably not sticking. If the idea is brought back up again by your partner multiple times during this period of time, then get ready for work ahead.

Idea discussion.

At this point, you can finally discuss honestly your concerns or reservations with the idea. It has been over 3 weeks since the idea was first mentioned, and it’s stuck with the idea person. Here is where (together) you decide if you are running with it or not. Make the decision and move ahead together, full charge.

Remember that an idea is just an idea.

At first mention, it’s the realists’ job to just listen and encourage. There is no need to get practical or start

If you’re the idea person, who’s your sounding board?

How can you help your sounding board process your ideas with you?

If you’re the sounding board, how can you learn to listen and remain a positive voice to the idea person?