By the time he was 24, Kwao had developed the knack for creating ideas at every break in the office. He knew most than many his peers. It excited him to know he was the ‘idea-man’, the one-stop hub to generating solutions the office needed. He was the space within which new ideas emerged- from retail, to marketing and even to growth. The problem with Kwao was that his ever active mind never gave the chance to fully develop an idea that could work a specific solution in any given situation. Like the proverbial Jack of all trade, he was master of none. Before long, he had outlived his relevance, since there was nothing within his work environment that seemed perfect. Kwao’s Shiny Object Syndrome obstructed his goals by drawing him into new endeavors he was never prepared for. This did cost some capital, as his office was consistently pressured to experiment with new and untested ideas, following Kwao’s obsession with doing new things at every turn.
An entrepreneur must learn the value of developing focus and aligning all resources along that focus. While it is always beneficial to develop new ideas that are necessary for organizational development, you should be weary in committing to ideas that are not especially in sync with your original focus.
The danger with the Shiny Object Syndrome is in its ability to steer you off your target. It creates pleasantness with every prospect you see and ultimately blinds you against the real threats that lurk around the corner. Given time, it can completely ruin your treasures and eventually kick you out of business.
Develop ideas when you have to; only be sure the idea is what you really need at the time in your organization.
