Knowledge enables power, execution guarantees it

I don't care if you steal my ideas, and knowledge won't make you powerful

Apr 25, 2025

My kids spent last week in skateboard camp. I saw them go from inexperienced-but-hungry to who's-going-to-stop-me-now in five days.

It was incredible.

As someone who recently tore her ACL and spent a lot of her life on a skateboard, I found myself in awe of their bravery. I have found myself anxiously daydreaming about my first post-operative hop more than once. It's no wonder 50% of post-op ACL patients never return to sport. We know too much.

We have all heard that knowledge is power, but actually — execution is power.

And without an appetite for execution and improvement, knowledge can be limiting.

THE COGNITIVE ENTRENCHMENT PROBLEM

Recent research has shown that our brains' tendency to accumulate knowledge can paradoxically hinder innovative thinking and adaptability. In his book "Elastic," Leonard Mlodinow describes this as "cognitive entrenchment" — where expertise can actually restrict creative problem-solving. This phenomenon appears in many fields, including medicine, where studies have found that patients treated by older surgeons experienced complication rates up to 17% higher than those treated by younger surgeons for the same procedures. This isn't because experience lacks value, but rather illustrates how established mental models can create rigidity. When our brains become too anchored in "the way things are done," they naturally resist the elastic thinking needed to spot novel solutions or adapt to changing circumstances. Sometimes knowing less allows for greater cognitive flexibility precisely because you haven't yet internalized the conventional boundaries of what's possible.

In many ways, my kids' lack of knowledge served them. They were padded up and took their shot at the ramps, the steps, all of it — and paid no attention to the advanced (and much older, they are 5 and 6) skaters in their wake. Of course, kids also lack judgment — so I am not suggesting that you shut your eyes and try your hand at a half-pipe.

This skateboarding lesson extends beyond the ramp and into business, where we see similar patterns with ideas and execution.

I DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR STARTUP IDEA

When someone tells me they're worried about sharing their brilliant idea because someone might steal it, I feel my eyes glazing over.

Because, like at the skatepark:

Ideas are worthless. Execution is everything.
Ideas are easy. Execution is exhausting.
Ideas are static. Execution is constantly changing.
Ideas are based on knowledge. Execution tests judgment.

THE IDEA HOARDING FALACY

We've all met "idea people" who speak in hushed tones, who want NDAs signed before they'll whisper their revolutionary concept, who are convinced the world is full of idea thieves just waiting to pounce on their genius.

But here's the cold, hard truth that most don't want to hear: Nobody cares about your idea.

Because an idea without execution is just a daydream.

THE NEUROSCIENCE OF CREATIVITY

Recently, I was consulting a friend on a project. “I know I am jumping around, it’s the ADHD” I quipped. “If this is what ADHD is, I want it,” she replied. Though disorderly, my mind was firing off idea after idea for her new business. Mlodinow's exploration of elastic thinking reveals a fascinating connection to ADHD, suggesting that what society often labels as a disorder might actually provide advantages in creative problem-solving. People with ADHD typically demonstrate stronger divergent thinking abilities, generating multiple solutions rather than fixating on conventional approaches. Their reduced cognitive filtering allows them to make unexpected connections between seemingly unrelated concepts, while their capacity for hyperfocus enables deep exploration of novel ideas. As Mlodinow explains, the very characteristics that create challenges in structured environments — reduced cognitive inhibition and non-linear thinking — can become superpowers in contexts requiring innovation and adaptability. This perspective reframes ADHD not merely as a deficit in attention but as a different cognitive style that offers unique strengths in an increasingly complex world that demands elastic thinking and creative solutions (of course, at the cost of focus).

The concept of elastic thinking provides scientific backing for what we intuitively know about execution: that breaking free from established patterns often leads to breakthrough solutions.

ADHD and creativity — we all kind of suspected it. Thoughts?

THE BIRTH OF IDEAS: BOREDOM

Yesterday I did a talk to a bunch of business students at USC. When someone asked for advice to get her startup moving, I started on my typical points around execution over ideation, but quickly realized that I had to give credit to one more tip: learn to be bored.

In "Elastic," Mlodinow also discusses boredom, but from another angle. He shares a fascinating insight that we all kind-of-knew-but-never-proved: an unfocused mind is often more creative, while a focused mind tends to rely on existing solutions. Some of our greatest cultural achievements emerged not from intense concentration but from mental wandering.

How many times has a brilliant idea come to you in the sauna? Or the car? Or (my most creative time), when procrastinating.

Mlodinow makes a counterintuitive case: procrastination can actually enhance creativity. While we typically view procrastination as a productivity killer, he suggests it might be a key ingredient in creative thinking. Because when we procrastinate, our minds wander. And in that wandering state, our brains often make unexpected connections between seemingly unrelated ideas – the very essence of creativity.

This aligns with what Mlodinow calls "elastic thinking," a cognitive style that embraces ambiguity and contradiction, allowing us to rise above conventional mindsets.

NEVER BORED? YOUR IDEATION IS STARVED

Today's reality looks dramatically different. The average adult checks their phone around 80-110 times daily, often for less than a minute each time, according to recent research. We've engineered a world where boredom is extinct — and we might be losing something precious in the process.

These micro-interruptions prevent our minds from entering the unfocused, wandering state where creativity flourishes. We're constantly jumping back into the stream of updates, notifications, and endless scrolling.

Our kids have it worse; they've never known a world without instant digital gratification.

If you asked me about my childhood, I wouldn't start with TV shows or video games. I'd tell you about sports battles with my brother in the backyard. Building forts in the mud. Tagging along with my sister and her friends, desperate to be included.

Why? Because my mom pulled the plug on cable when we were kids.

Without the constant entertainment feed, we were forced to do something revolutionary: be bored. And within that boredom, we created our own worlds.

Research shows that just 20 minutes of focused play with our children builds the connection that helps them feel secure and develops their emotional intelligence. Not structured activities with educational goals. Not side-by-side iPad time. Just being present, being bored (let's be honest — the Magnatiles and races get boring very quickly), following their lead, and engaging with whatever captures their imagination.

But how can this happen when both parent and child are constantly distracted by devices?

I'm not suggesting we return to some technology-free utopia that never really existed. Digital tools and content can be wonderful, educational, and enriching.

But if you are never bored, you will never ideate to your full potential. And if you don't ideate, you are not a competitive risk because you do not execute.

Perhaps we need to be more intentional about creating space for boredom. Maybe we need to stop filling every minute with content consumption and start allowing our minds — and our children's minds — to wander.

Some tactical tips:

Put your phone on black and white mode (iPhone Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size > Color Filters > Grayscale)
Use apps that force boredom by locking social media temporarily

WHY IDEAS SPREAD

The principles in Jonah Berger's "Contagious" provide another lens for understanding why execution trumps ideas. Berger found that ideas spread when they contain practical value and emotional resonance – qualities that emerge not from theoretical knowledge but from the messy process of execution. The divergent thinking patterns of elastic cognition naturally create the kind of unexpected narrative connections that make executed ideas more memorable and shareable. Ideas that remain unexecuted can never develop the social currency that makes them worth spreading.

This is why truly contagious ideas almost always come from people who are deeply engaged in execution, not from those who merely theorize from the sidelines.

IDEAS ARE ABUNDANT, EXECUTION IS RARE

Do you know how long it takes to build an idea? Here are some software averages.

MVP (Minimum Viable Product): Typically 3-6 months of development time
Full-featured product: 6-24 months depending on complexity
Achieving product-market fit: Often 1-3 years

The market is saturated with ideas. What's scarce is the willingness to:

Wake up at 5 AM to build something before your day job
Face rejection 50 times and still send out pitch #51
Iterate through failure after failure until finding product-market fit
Persist when everyone tells you it won't work

For 1-3 years. Or 4 years. or 10 years. The hard never stops.

The execution gap separates the dreamers from the doers. It's why most New Year's resolutions die by February 1st. It's why gym memberships spike in January and plummet by March.

The execution gap is why nobody is stealing your idea.

The execution gap is why you haven’t started on your idea.

IDEA THIEVES(ISH)

Let's imagine someone does "steal" your idea. What happens next?

In most cases: absolutely nothing.

The would-be thief faces the exact same execution challenges you would. The same market realities. The same need for persistence, discipline, and resourcefulness. The same 3 AM doubts and 8 AM grinds.

Most people simply don't have the stomach for it. It's boring, it's hard, and it requires sustained effort over time – something that's increasingly rare in our attention-deficit culture.

MY TAKE

I share ideas freely. I'll tell you exactly what I'm working on, what's next, what's working, what's failing, and what I think the future holds.

Why? Because I know my competitive advantage isn't the idea itself — it's my unique combination of:

Specific domain knowledge
Network and relationships
Execution speed and quality
Persistence threshold
Unique voice and perspective
Peace with rejection
Trust I’ve worked hard to develop

And frankly, if you read this newsletter regularly, you'll probably seek me out/recommend me/think of me when opportunities arise.

My openness attracts opportunity.

In the last year, I have gotten many speaking opportunities — nearly all of them have come from people who found me on the internet (fyi, invite me to speak — I am working on this muscle actively).

THE REAL RISK

The real risk isn't someone stealing your idea.

The real risk is your idea dying inside you, never meeting the oxygen of execution.

The real risk is spending years protecting something that needed testing, iteration, and real-world feedback.

The real risk is missing market timing because you were too busy hiding instead of building.

MANY IDEAS SHOULD SUCK

There's an immense freedom in detaching your ego from your ideas. When you stop treating ideas as precious jewels to be guarded and start seeing them as abundant resources to be tested, you move faster, learn quicker, and build better.

Does this mean you should never protect intellectual property? Of course not. Patents, trademarks, and copyrights have their place for proven innovations. But they protect what you've built, not what you've merely thought about building.

IN CLOSING

My children at skateboard camp remind us that sometimes knowing less -– having fewer preconceptions about what's possible or what might hurt -– allows for greater freedom in execution. Their elastic thinking, uninhibited by the cognitive entrenchment that comes with age and experience, enabled them to progress rapidly. Similarly, the spaces of boredom we've engineered out of our lives are precisely where our most original ideas often emerge. The difference between those who succeed and those who dream isn't just about having great ideas, it's about creating the conditions for elastic thinking and then having the courage to execute despite uncertainty.

In business as in skateboarding, the greatest risk isn't that someone will steal your idea. It's that you'll never push off the edge of the ramp at all.

So the next time you catch yourself worried about idea theft, ask yourself:

Am I actually executing on this idea?
If someone else executed faster or better, what would that tell me?
Is my fear of theft just masking a deeper fear of action?

In a world drowning in ideas but starving for execution, be the person who does the work.
Because that — not your idea — is what no one can steal from you.

And that's what makes all the difference.

I’ve gone longer form in the last few articles, what do you think?