It is so funny when I hear people being so protective of ideas.

People who want me to sign an NDA [Non-Disclosure Agreement] to tell me the simplest idea.

To me, ideas are worth nothing unless executed. They are just a multiplier. Execution is worth millions.

The disconnect between idea and execution is the reason a lot of ideas don’t see a light of day.

I would not call ideas worthless, per se, but it is clear that ideas alone are a hollow sort of currency.

Success is rarely determined by the quality of your ideas. But it is frequently determined by the quality of your execution.

So instead of worrying about whether the next big idea you are working on is sufficiently brilliant, worry about how well you are executing.

Unless you work alone, which is a rarity these days, having a great team in your startup is critical.

Great teams are the building block of any successful startup.

In a fascinating book, full of some great insights, Mr Ed Catmull says the following:

“If you give a good idea to a mediocre group, they’ll screw it up. If you give a mediocre idea to a good group, they’ll fix it. Or they’ll throw it away and come up with something else.”

Execution is not merely a multiplier. It is far more powerful.

How your team executes has the power to transform your idea from gold into zinc, or from zinc into gold.

If you want to be successful, stop worrying about great ideas, and concentrate on cultivating great teams.

The success of any innovation is not an individual sport, it is a team-sport.

Jim Collins talks about getting the right people, in the right positions, on the bus [and the wrong off the bus] before setting the strategy.

When it comes to creative inspiration, job titles and hierarchy are meaningless.

Getting the right people and the right chemistry is more important than getting the right idea.

If you want to walk fast, walk alone. If you want to walk far, walk with others. – African Proverb.