Months, potentially years, of work culminate in a decision to change a fundamental process in the organisation. Celebrations ensure as it is historic as today is the day we draw a line; we will look back at this moment as “that was then, this is now”. The smile on my face is massive.

And then reality sinks in. The idea is mandated now, but no resources are allocated to make it a reality. There is agreement on the direction and what should be reality, but the tougher task of resourcing it, is not made.

And yet, all ideas are unfunded mandates. That is why we pitch to investors, write proposals to donors, write business cases. It is why we are all marketers as we take our ideas to the world.

Getting people to agree your idea is a good one, a needed one, is easy; getting them to put their hand in their pocket and buy your new idea is much harder. When people are ready to trade some of their hard earned funds for your idea, the game changes; in fact, it is when it truly begins.

I had forgotten this.