What’s Your Problem? #11

Originally published What’s Your Problem? #11 on August 12, 2025 03:44 by https://www.sdbj.com/commentary/whats-your-problem-11/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=whats-your-problem-11 at San Diego Business Journal

Dear Idea Guy,

Our leadership team just finished an innovation initiative. We used a clear process to prioritize our best ideas. But now… nothing’s happening. Weeks have gone by, and I’m worried the momentum is gone.

How do we move from selecting an idea to actually making progress?

— Stalled in Mission Valley

Dear Stalled,

You’ve just hit one of the most dangerous points in the innovation process: the gap between decision and action. The energy of idea selection is high, but without a clear next step, that momentum evaporates fast.

And here’s the thing: momentum is hard to create. Once you have it, it’s easier, faster, and cheaper to keep it going than to restart it later.

The real problem isn’t your process for picking a winner—it’s the handoff to execution. Most teams underestimate how fragile that moment is, especially when innovation is in addition to everyone’s day job. People are already juggling priorities, so if you lose their focus, you risk losing the idea.

Here’s how to close the gap before you leave the room: pick your top idea and immediately do three things—name the owner, define the first milestone, and set a 30-day check-in. Keep the timeline short. In my experience, shorter bursts of focused effort beat long development cycles every time. People have competing priorities, they get bored, and interest fades fast if they can’t see progress.

When you create ownership, set a clear first step, and move quickly, you turn intention into traction. Treat that handoff like a launch, not an afterthought.

You’ve done the hard work of finding the right idea. Now give it the best chance to live.

— Kevin Popovic, The Idea Guy®

WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM? is a weekly column by Kevin Popovic, The Idea Guy®—a trusted advisor to CEOs and leaders across industries. Each edition answers real-world business challenges with clear, creative insights you can use to think differently and lead confidently.

Got a problem worth solving? Send your question to [email protected] – it could be featured in an upcoming column.

Kevin Popović is the trusted advisor behind What’s Your Problem?, the San Diego Business Journal’s weekly innovation advice column for business leaders. Known as The Idea Guy®, Popović helps CEOs and leadership teams solve complex challenges with clarity, creativity, and confidence.

A former Zahn Chair of Creativity & Innovation at San Diego State University and a TEDx speaker, Kevin has led award-winning agencies, launched innovation labs, and guided Fortune 500 companies, startups, and public institutions through high-impact change. As the founder of The Idea Guy®, he brings over 25 years of experience helping executives build cultures of innovation, improve strategic thinking, and generate results.

His work spans design thinking, creative strategy, and generative AI—equipping leaders to reframe problems and lead what’s next.

Originally published San Diego Business Journal