I’m often described as the “ideas guy” — someone who tells stories, paints strategic pictures of the future, and comes up with ways to solve problems. That’s exactly what I help clients do: dream big, then overcome obstacles to make it happen.

Ideas are abundant. Implementation and creativity? Not so much. Every new idea, project, or initiative needs to be brought to life. Ideas alone are worthless without action.

Most workplaces struggle with this. Good ideas start with enthusiasm but quickly stall. Projects sit half-finished. Whiteboards and documents are full of brilliant concepts gathering dust. Partial execution is everywhere. Interest in the idea is good, but commitment to making it real is just as important.

Chase Rabbits

An ancient Chinese proverb says: “A man who chases two rabbits catches neither.”

This is the story of my personal life — and of many companies. Too many ideas, too much to do, too many Plan Bs, not enough execution.

I have a long list of failed personal projects: Parent Car Scene (although this has since become this free eBook), Parent Brain, Moschops the Rapping Bear, Steal City, Tape Casts, YouTube channels, podcasts, books, business ideas. Any one of them could have succeeded if I’d stuck with it.

One example: The Wright Building Podcast. During a house renovation, I thought it would be fun to capture the audio and share our experience. I loved recording — the builders’ banter, the sounds of construction, narrating the process. But the project lasted just one episode.

Why? I set targets: listener numbers, posting frequency. Suddenly, the joy was gone. Then I pivoted to Instagram. Managing that alongside work, chasing outcomes and payback, drained the fun. Creativity dies the moment it’s tied to expectations or outcomes.

Expectations Can Kill Creativity

This is true in work too. We ideate, get excited, assign tasks, and start. Then deadlines, goals, and financial constraints appear. Enthusiasm wanes. Momentum slows. Projects sit unfinished, great ideas never fully realised.

We need both: time for ideation and time for action. But too much focus on goals and outcomes too early stifles creativity. Not every project needs immediate ROI. Some projects exist to explore, experiment, and innovate. When we move from ideation to action, we must preserve energy, enthusiasm, and passion.

Check out this 30 Days of Creativity guide - in which I also talk about how adding too much structure and expectations can kill a creative project.

Move Fast with Creative Inspiration

Sometimes, creativity thrives in small, expectation-free bursts. During The Wright Building Podcast, I had a fun mini-project: promotional photos of me pretending to record on-site. No audience, no goals, just fun. My kids joined in, we solved a small creative problem, and something was made.

Rob Lambert during the house build
Me enjoying the creativity of creating content for a project I didn't complete

Creativity, at its best, is:

  • A problem to solve
  • An idea
  • Rapid, energy-filled action
  • Joy, fun, and passion
  • Something created
  • Minor or flexible expectations
  • Room to iterate, build, or move on

The Balance

In work, this is harder, but the spirit should remain. Too much emphasis on outcomes kills innovation; too little focus and nothing of value gets made. The key is managing the tension: creating joyfully while still delivering value.

Chasing too many things at once guarantees failure — true for personal projects, true for creative work, and true for delivering value to customers.

Photos from the shoot

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