In a very famous fable by Aesop, the mice gather to come up with moves to outwit their predator - the cat. Someone makes a wise suggestion, 'Let's tie a bell to the cat so that we will be forewarned of its proximity and we can flee to safety.' Everyone applauded the innovative proposal. But an old mouse interjected, 'who will bell the cat?' Everyone looked at one another and nobody spoke.
So often, so many of us can so easily propose simple solutions to the problems facing us or others. Nevertheless, the most creative solution is useless unless it can be used. Brainstorming that does not lead to norming that ensures performing is just a thinking exercise. It is pertinent that the possibilities, of implementation of the idea, should be explored before it is seen as viable.
Each imaginative solution should be further developed to identify who, how, where and when will implement what has been imagined. The idea though crucial needs to move beyond being a plan to becoming a clear, focussed plan of action with clearly defined roles for everyone including the proposer.
Since we stray from taking ownership for the actions, we end up making sterile suggestions. It is easy to suggest the cooking of a exotic dish, but it is important to suggest only that for which we ourselves can procure ingredients. It is easy to say 'bell the cat' without seeing whether we ourselves can do it. If we can, obviously others can too.
Not just the idea, imagine self-implementation
to ensure we ‘unite to impact’ a true solution!
- Pravin K. Sabnis
Goa, India
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