Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality

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Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality

3.81 of 5 stars 3.81 · rating details · 2,765 ratings · 198 reviews

How the world's leading innovators push their ideas to fruition again and again

Edison famously said that genius is 1 percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration. Ideas for new businesses, solutions to the world's problems, and artistic breakthroughs are common, but great execution is rare.

According to Scott Belsky, the capacity to make ideas happen can be developed by...more

Hardcover, 256 pages

Published April 15th 2010 by Portfolio Hardcover (first published 2010)

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Nov 28, 2010 John rated it 1 of 5 stars

I'm of two minds about this book. If you're looking for a "how to," read Getting Things Done instead. The "how" of making tasks happen is more pragmatically covered there.

What's compelling about Belsky's book is the sense he gives that many, many conversations led into this book. If you read it as a catalogue of the simple things effective creatives do, there's some things to learn here. Otherwise, it's not terribly compelling.

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Feb 09, 2013 Rowena Morais rated it 4 of 5 stars

Title : Making Ideas Happen. Overcoming the Obstacles between Vision and Reality
Author : Scott Belsky
Published by : Portfolio Trade
Year of publication: 2012
ISBN-10: 1591844118
ISBN-13: 13 978 1591844112
Detail : Paperback
Availability: Borders

The way to get things done.

I am sure that the challenge created by the gap between the things we think we’d like to achieve and what we actually achieve is one that many of us face. So it is always interesting, for me especially, to read or find out more abou...more

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Feb 14, 2012 Jinnie Lee rated it 3 of 5 stars

This book is written by a guy who was interested in organization and productivity within the creative business community (designers, etc.), whom he observered was awash in great ideas but too many failed to get implemented or were not implemented successfully. So he put together a productivity "system" for this audience, as well as an online community where they can support each other in developing the habits, as well as sharing work for feedback and sharing job opportunities. The "system" he of...more

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Oct 25, 2011 Eric rated it 2 of 5 stars

Belsky’s main idea is that creative people tend to have lots of ideas on how to improve products or services, but they have difficulty executing those ideas. And that’s crucial because ideas are cheap. We have tons of ideas that come and go. But success only comes to those who can execute. Belsky believes that “making ideas happen” is simply a matter of satisfying a formula: Ideas + Organization and Execution + Forces of Community + Leadership Capability. With the exception of ideas, he then foc...more Belsky’s main idea is that creative people tend to have lots of ideas on how to improve products or services, but they have difficulty executing those ideas. And that’s crucial because ideas are cheap. We have tons of ideas that come and go. But success only comes to those who can execute. Belsky believes that “making ideas happen” is simply a matter of satisfying a formula: Ideas + Organization and Execution + Forces of Community + Leadership Capability. With the exception of ideas, he then focuses on each element of the equation.

Regarding organization, Belsky offers a simplified version of David Allen’s Getting Things Done. Similarly, Belsy’s system is one of capture, categorization, prioritization, and review. Belsky’s key idea is the “action step.” These are concrete things to do (like Allen’s “next steps.”). As for execution, Belsky says to focus on those action steps, and employ methods to keep moving forward. These include things like killing ideas quickly and learning to fail faster. In this section, Belsky starts to introduce ideas mentioned in his talk. But the key is to locate the real gem ideas, work to refine them, and bring them to fruition.

Belsky believes in sharing your ideas widely. If you find others responding favorably to the idea, you’ll know you’re onto something. Additionally, he thinks such publicity and transparency will help you build a fan base, meet new people, and even encourage competition. Your fan base will serve to keep you accountable. New people might spark new ideas. And competitors will keep you motivated.

Lastly, Belsky talks about leadership: how to manage a team of creatives, and how to manage yourself. To successfully manage your team, Belsky talks about non-salary rewards, building in flexibility, and avoiding consensus (in the sense of avoiding lowest common denominator results). To successfully manage yourself, Belsky stresses self-awareness, because it will allow you to remain confident and comfortable in times of ambiguity or setback, to avoid narcissism, and to engage in contrarianism.

I found the book interesting, but not great. The book is probably most useful for someone about to establish a start-up business consisting of a few employees. But the freelancer working on his own will also find some useful advice. The chapters on organization are execution are the most helpful (but nothing really new if you’ve read Getting Things Done). The chapter on engaging the community are also useful, now that everyone stresses the need to use social media and to build a platform. Although Belsky says the book is geared toward “creatives,” it’s really focused on those who want to create start-up after start-up. Although job security is decreasing these days, so is start-up funding. Although many people may like the idea of being their own boss, some will likely have difficulty with the idea of embracing failure as calmly (if not eagerly) as Belsky suggests. I’d suggest checking out his talk (look for the 99% Conference and the "Idea Plateau") and maybe skimming the book. No need to hang on every word.(less)

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Dec 06, 2010 Jorge rated it 2 of 5 stars

The author finishs this books explainig how difficult is to transform an idea into a reality (a book, a music album, a painting, etc.) and how difficult is for the observer to realize this difficultness. I don't doubt the amount of work behind this book but it is far from what I was expecting.

The first chapter is not so bad but the another-self-help-book-tone is noticiable in many pages and most of the ideas are simply not so innovative. Second chapter is dissapointing, it just does not fit in...more

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Jul 09, 2010 Harkinna rated it 5 of 5 stars

Mr. Belsky, of www.behance.net, does a great job explaining to artists, photographers, and writers how to go about organizing their work flows to maximize their output. I read the book over the last few weeks and have already seen the results. My boss mentioned I was getting a lot of stuff done and asked if I felt overwhelmed with work. Cute.

The book is organized broadly into three areas: Organization and Execution, Community, and Leadership Capability.

So his organizational system goes something...more

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May 06, 2010 Book Calendar rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: business, marketing

Making Ideas Happen Overcoming The Obstacles Between Vision and Reality by Scott Belsky Founder and CEO of Behance

Scott Belsky is a very much a new media type of writer. He is the CEO of Behance which is a social networking platform for creative professionals. I took a look at the site and it is a shared image database of advertisements, designs, and illustrations. It is quite interesting to look at http://www.behance.com/Products/Creat... The site has a new media, trendy feeling to it which is...more

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Aug 16, 2012 Allen Plummer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's interesting that so many reviewers on Goodreads feel passionately about this book one way or the other. I personally, greatly enjoyed the book, but will fully admit to enjoying the Behance website 99u. I also knew enough of the book to realize that it is in fact about how a creative individual produces results, not the usual "break out your inner creative" peptalk used by so many authors.

For serious artists who have more ideas than time, the temptation to move onto a new project constantly...more

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May 21, 2010 Blog on Books rated it 4 of 5 stars

Just what the world needs – another marketing book? We’ve been told how to bring things to market in the traditional sense, in the new world order, in the digital world, in nearly every kind of competitive battlefield by authors and books too numerous to mention. So does the world really need one more?

Actually, yes.

Scott Belsky, a former Goldman Sachs executive, is now the founder of a company called Behance; a virtual firm devoted not to traditional marketing approaches, but rather to the conce...more Just what the world needs – another marketing book? We’ve been told how to bring things to market in the traditional sense, in the new world order, in the digital world, in nearly every kind of competitive battlefield by authors and books too numerous to mention. So does the world really need one more?

Actually, yes.

Scott Belsky, a former Goldman Sachs executive, is now the founder of a company called Behance; a virtual firm devoted not to traditional marketing approaches, but rather to the concept of sharing ideas in the creative community and efficiently executing on those ideas. His first book, ‘Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality,’ is designed to do exactly what its title implies. Get your ideas to market now.

We’ve all heard that ideas are ‘a dime a dozen,’ and ‘not worth the paper they are written on.’ Belsky agrees. What the author is here to show us is that it’s not about having ideas, but that the real challenge is executing on those ideas. Utilizing community, delegation based on ability and enthusiasm, avoidance of process, and 99% perspiration is a large part of the plan. Of course, deep down, we all know this, but

Belsky’s mission is to point out the traps and methods involved in cutting through both the institutional and psychological barriers that kill most ideas before they ever get off the ground.
Besides his own philosophies, Belsky has researched idea iteration across generations (from Thomas Edison to Seth Godin) to compile a list of approaches that fast-track ideas into the marketplace before they become stale (not in the mind of the market, but in the hands of those actually responsible for bring them to the market.) Belsky clearly abhors group thinking, committees and meetings that get bogged down and promote the notion of reporting rather than creating action plans (or capturing ‘Action Steps’ as he calls them.) For Belsky, it’s all about streamlining the actions needed to quickly ship ideas to the market without wasting time (on things like ‘Insecurity Work’ and excessive consensus building.)

To assemble the book, Belsky explored what makes fast iterators work by examining methods at play in companies like Zappos, IDEO, Apple Computer and his own Behance. Companies that have become market leaders by turning the tradition of iteration on its ear.

In the final analysis, Belsky is about one thing and one thing only; taking good ideas and getting them to market – fast. His approach to streamlining marketing is the same approach he takes in his writing. Or as the famous Nike slogan says: ‘Just Do It!’(less)

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Mar 21, 2013 Sarah rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, pretty-careerist

Repetitive, unfocused, and generally unremarkable. The only thing that kept me reading were the occasional one-liners that really did encapsulate intelligent thoughts about productivity, teamwork, and focus.

This book varied between theoretical ramblings that were vague to the point of being useless and excerpted interviews with famous people who talked about their productivity philosophies. I wish there had been more direct suggestions about productivity techniques and combining creative dreami...more

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Jan 26, 2011 Marcus rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, business, self-development

Even though it is written by a different author, this book reads like a sequel to David Allen's über-famous Getting Things Done (GTD), only this time geared specifically toward the broad category of anyone who creates, a.k.a. creative people. Like GTD, the concepts here aren't particularly exciting but I'm hoping that like GTD, they'll be life-changing.

Since reading GTD several years ago the concepts of "what's the next action" and having a trusted system for tracking projects have become firmly...more

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Jun 28, 2012 Jeff rated it 3 of 5 stars

Entrepreneur and Behance founder Scott Belsky offers his take on bringing ideas to fruition. Eschewing the step by step productivity systems popularized by Steven Covey and David Allen, Belsky offers a more holistic approach. He suggests that ideas become reality when we're able to focus organization and execution together with communal forces and leadership.

The result is a book that's heavily reliant on anecdotes, stories, and sometimes contradictory messages. Sprinkled throughout are the now-o...more

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Dec 01, 2012 Kamal rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book talks big but doesn't deliver. As many other readers have noted, David Allen's GTD is much better and will actually help you realize goals and projects. Belsky's book, on the other hand, is just a protracted advertisement for his company, Behance. Disappointing, bland and surprisingly useless.

1 like · like · see review

Jan 07, 2012 Goodacre rated it 3 of 5 stars

Part one is excellent and inspirational. Belsky writes about the project plateau--about ways to keep yourself or a team focused on what's difficult, instead of coming up with a raft of cooler ideas and abandoning ship. Part two about community forces has some good insights, but the banal style starts to grate on me. Part three I could do without--about leadership, which was never my thing. Every time Belsky talks about "creatives" or "leaders" I can't help thinking it's all a pipe dream and an o...more

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Dec 24, 2012 Marie Poulin rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was exactly what I needed. As a creative that struggles with project management, timelines and tasks, this outlines a very practical system for actually getting things done daily. I've read "Getting Things Done", but I actually found this even more simplified and practical. It's all about thinking about everything as a Project, and learning to always create actionable items.
I personally found myself going "AH, YES, that's totally what I've been missing!", however, some of those concept...more

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Dec 10, 2011 Angie rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle-clubbers

Written founder of Behance, a company aimed at helping creative individuals become more productive. This book aims to share best-of practices. Despite the amount of knowledge Belskey must have on the topic, and the research that went into this book, the book was a major disappointment. I didn't learn much and struggled to find interesting, novel ideas here.

Belskey divided the book into three sections (Organization and Execution; The Forces of Community; Leadership Capacity). He first summarized...more Written founder of Behance, a company aimed at helping creative individuals become more productive. This book aims to share best-of practices. Despite the amount of knowledge Belskey must have on the topic, and the research that went into this book, the book was a major disappointment. I didn't learn much and struggled to find interesting, novel ideas here.

Belskey divided the book into three sections (Organization and Execution; The Forces of Community; Leadership Capacity). He first summarized the three sections. Then at the beginning of each section, he'd give a more detailed summary. Short sections, each organized around a Behance maxim, could have removed a lot of the fluff that came with the forced structure. I prefer the freewheeling style and tone of Re/Work, which is a concise, not too serious, and accessible-for-all book on principles for starting a business, written by the founders of 37signals. Belskey should had taken some cues from it.

The examples, often accompanied by unnecessary lead-ins giving context of how he knew the person, frustrated me. He often used one example to support a point, when several, presenting opposing ideas and various styles, would have strengthened his point and made it more accessible. For example, he details the R/GA CEO's paper based organization system (to make the point that having a system, regardless of the tech level, is important) but then doesn't profile anyone else in the same way.

Belskey's examples, along with his advertising agency lingo (e.g. brief), imply that he's geared this for the current people in the Behance network (designers, artists, brand planners) rather than just for anyone. That seems short-sighted. Clearly many people outside of that space have ideas that they want to make happen. And a nitpicky but still frustrating gripe: WHY does he use creative as a noun? To refer to a person as "a creative" is ridiculous. I know it's common in agency land, but it doesn't mean it's good practice.

Making Ideas Happen lacked pithiness and punch. Main points got lost in the blather. But the biggest problem was a lack of strong ideas. The execution is seriously lacking, which is ironic considering the topic.(less)

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Aug 09, 2011 Tech Wizard rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: productivity

Making Ideas Happen is an amazing insight into productivity and motivation bur falls short of providing a workable and efficient plan of action. Other reviewers have mentioned Getting Things Done as the real first name in productivity, as it gets right to the point and gives immediate and actionable steps right of the bat.

Scott Belsky's Making Ideas Happen, in my opinion, gives a second more academic look into productivity with suggestions on how to improve only really provided sparingly in rel...more

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Jan 24, 2011 Brad Wenner rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, business, self

I thought that this book addressed the real problem of being a creative professional, which is not thinking up ideas, but executing them. I really do not like the GTD/Lifehacker/etc. nerdy obsessive productivity systems that seem to put more emphasis on making complex todo lists than they do on actually getting your tasks done. Belsky does not prescribe a certain way of doing things, but instead emphasizes the importance of design on organization and then offers examples of successful artists an...more

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Nov 08, 2012 Joewoolworth rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: creatives

One of the problems I have as a “freelance guy” is finding a productivity system that works. I have tried a couple different types of strategies to organize my workflow, but the problem is: I GET BORED.

I am a creative person and so one of my least favorite things is spending time on the details and not on the ideas. But, I know it is necessary and I am actually pretty good with the details, however normal productivity plans haven’t seemed to work for me.

That is why when I read what this book was...more

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Jul 12, 2010 Elaine Nelson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: business, non-fiction, psychology, self-help

I've been torn between giving this 1 or 2 stars, or 4 stars, so 3 it is. The good parts are fascinating, and I think potentially very useful to me in work and at home. Some smart techniques and interesting quotes. I may even recommend it to my colleagues.

On the other hand...it's hard for me to take seriously a book that uses "thought leader" non-ironically. And so it has a lot of that sort of thing going on: oh, look, there's Chris Anderson! Malcolm Gladwell! IDEO! etc., etc. And plenty of eye-r...more

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Mar 06, 2011 Michael Rubin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Normally, I'm resistant to popular new business books. Part of it is a natural urge to go against the grain, but all too often, I usually finish one of these titles feeling that the information is obsolete and inapplicable. I'm delighted to say that this is NOT one of those cases.

"Making Ideas Happen" is definitely not a "flavor of the month" book. The ideas and concepts are geared toward artists, but the productivity lessons here are perfect for anyone trying to effect change within an organiz...more

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Aug 12, 2011 Ed Ingman rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed reading Belsky's thoughts on productivity and how to squeeze the most juice out of your ideas. This book is probably perfect for the most creative silicone valley types, but as an educator and administrator, I got a lot out of it. I'm probably never going to have an earth shattering business idea or product, but as an aspect of my job I need to be creatively considering ways to improve the school. This book gave me some very practical tools and things to think about when trying...more

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Oct 18, 2010 Tanja Laden rated it 5 of 5 stars

Based on the conditions in which artists thrive as professionals Behance founder Scott Belsky reveals his formula for creative success in Making Ideas Happen.

Just like his Behance Network, which offers artists an online portfolio-sharing platform, Belsky’s book offers motivation to put concepts into practice, outlining key steps in the execution of ideas. Referencing a framework that involves inspiration, organization, and leadership, it’s a step-by-step primer for making your own creative dream...more

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Mar 13, 2011 Alex rated it 4 of 5 stars

The book is organsied to into 3 sections:

# Organization and Execution
# Community
# Leadership Capability

The first section really demonstrated Belsky's understanding of the creative mind and the execution issues which follow. I have adopted the method describe and its improved efficiency and thought my processes.

After reading the first section my expectation were sky high followed by a disappointing "Community" and "Leadership Capability" section, not because it was weak or misinformed but it lac...more

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Aug 30, 2011 David rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: design, business

This is not going to be a book for everyone; however, it was one of those books that felt like it had been written particularly for me. I rarely read a book twice, but after reading Making Ideas Happen I knew that I would benefit from reading it on occasion, perhaps annually. The book is about "execution," or as the title makes clear, "making ideas happen." Similar to "Good to Great" the author has taken his findings from the most successful in their field and laid down common principles and pra...more

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Mar 29, 2011 Lianda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Are you a creative type? Although I have been a professional artist, played music from the time of a young child, this was not a word that I used to describe my life - UNTIL... Belsky's book was eye and mind opening for me, helping me to understand that my disorganization, notes of paper written on backs of envelopes, shopping lists, on my voice recorder, were all attempts to bring my creative thoughts to light of day. This book has helped me redefine myself, and learn how to organize my prolifi...more

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Dec 18, 2012 shaz rasul rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

I liked the premise of the book -- organizational techniques for creatives -- very much, and their process for making ideas actionable for the most part jives with my sensibilities. All of these books (this organizational self-help genre) are an exercise in wrapping a few good ideas in a language of common sense. The first half of the book was more grounded and practical than the second half which felt more like a string of aphorisms. All told a good exercise for me to take a step back from my w...more

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Sep 24, 2010 Jeff rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the best book I've read this year. (There's a free iPhone app, Action Method, to go along with the book as well.)

Here are some key points:

The Forces that Make Ideas Happen:
Organization & Execution + Forces of Community + Leadership Capability

The way you organize projects, prioritize and manage your energy is arguably more than the quality of the ideas you wish to pursue.

The truth is, creativity isn't about wild talent as much as it's about productivity. To find a few ideas that wor...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 06, 2012 Shawn Pfunder rated it 4 of 5 stars

Worth it.

If you're a creative person who's looking for some insight when it comes to simple organization and execution, this may fit the bill. The story about the violin player is inspirational and very telling. You might have the most beautiful music in the world to share with others, but unless you figure out how to package and deliver it, no one is going to hear a note.

As a bonus: the section towards the end of the book on leadership is spot-on. I can personally vouch for many of the points h...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Lynley rated it 5 of 5 stars

I started reading this book on 08 April and finished it today, on 07 August, which is no reflection on the book, and everything to do with how much I personally need a kick in the pants -- nothing I start seems to get finished lately, not even books I'm really enjoying!

But once I picked this book up again I remembered how well-written it is, and with chartreuse highlighter* in hand, I went through this paperback like I sometimes go through an Alain de Boton book -- impressed at its truisms and i...more

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