ABSTRACT
The action phase is a step in the creative cycle that shapes, plans, tests, and implements the chosen option. People who will be affected by the solution, or their representatives, need to be brought on board early. A neuroscientist who comes up with a bright idea for setting up an experiment to test for a hypothesized neurotransmitter might be the only one involved in the action plan. Once an idea gets to the magnitude of a project and action steps start colliding with each other, charts that lay out interrelating activities and a critical path are needed. To sell ideas and their implementation actions, develop empathy for the way other people approach the world. Caution is needed along with conviction because even breakthrough ideas can be driven by jealousy and obsession. Without a balance of conviction and caution we can cause blindness or distortion toward our role or that of others in the discovery process.
