It’s easier to sell a big idea than a small one.
That’s one of my favorite principles. It may sound counterintuitive, but sit with it for a minute. When was the last time you were thrilled by a small idea?
Small ideas are important. They keep the business moving forward. But big ideas that successfully balance creativity and reality make an impact. They spark energy and interest, casting a vision that draws people together.
A recent conversation with an intern candidate brought this up for me. He mentioned the beautiful campus of Episcopal Academy, the school that both I and my sons attended. He didn’t realize that campus almost didn’t exist.
Years ago, when I served on the board of the school, it sat on a 35-acre campus about eight miles away from where it is today. And it was clear it had significantly outgrown its space.
Once I was on the board, we’d occasionally discuss this problem and make efforts to buy a home next to the campus. But that would only add a few rooms and a quarter of an acre or so. And then one day – after three years on the board without solving the problem – I pitched a Big Idea: Move the school to a completely new campus with nearly four times the space.
I was immediately shut down. The proposal was just not feasible. The school had never raised more than $7 million.
But there was just enough interest to socialize the idea with donors, alumni, and community leaders. It began to take on momentum. Over the next five years, more and more people caught the vision and joined the initiative. Together, we raised $200 million and pulled off the move.
Now, I wasn’t the most experienced guy in that room. In fact, I was one of the youngest. But I did have a big idea that I was willing to share. And even more importantly, I believed we could succeed.
Moving Episcopal to a new campus required the time, skill and gifts of many, many people. This story is far bigger than I am. But it illustrates the way that big, impactful solutions and optimistic mindsets often go hand-in-hand.
As someone who has been privileged to lead several organizations over the years and provide trusted counsel to many more, I've come to believe that the biggest indicator of success is the perspective of the people you work with.
And as leaders, we have the incredible opportunity to help spark that creative confidence in employees and colleagues.
You need your team to believe they can win. And you want to empower staff at every level to speak up when they have a great idea or see something wrong. Their insights won’t always lead to actions, of course, but fostering a culture of creative confidence is best done from the top.
When I look at the leaders I admire, I see that they don’t just call the shots. They’ve made it this far because they know how to find the spark that lights up a person or business and creates a culture of optimism.
Perhaps because they know what it’s like to have a champion. My mother and my older brother, Bill, were among the first people to teach me to believe in myself and risk new ideas.
Most of us have that person. And we all have the opportunity to be that person for someone else – the one who believes in what they have to offer and models a winning perspective.
It doesn’t matter where you are in your career. ABC Nightline host Byron Pitts once told me about one of his greatest influences. It was his college roommate who helped him overcome the challenges of a stutter and early illiteracy by teaching him a word every day for four years. 1,460 words and several years of hard work later, Byron became an Emmy-award winning journalist.
As 2025 moves forward, it’s always worthwhile to evaluate the opportunities and people around you. Where can you help launch an idea or encourage a colleague?
Sometimes the biggest impact and best ideas start with a spark.