In June 2024, my family welcomed our third child, and the process of naming him was a delightful yet challenging journey. Our older children had strong feelings and vetoes over some names for their little brother. This added many layers of complexity to our decision.
This experience of choosing and then protecting a name made me reflect on why parents often keep baby names secret until birth, and how this approach can also apply to launching startups, nonprofits, and new ideas.
1. Creating the Criteria
Creating good guardrails for the name or idea helps refine the process. For naming our son, we wanted something that would complement our other children’s names, carry family significance, and evoke a positive feeling. Additionally, we aimed for a name that wasn’t overly popular (ranked in top 30) and a name that you had to smile when you said it.
No pressure.
Even though we didn’t want external opinion, we still used external data to check for popularity (sorry to all the people named Megan :P).
Consider: How can you find external data about the popularity and market landscape without negatively influencing your idea?
2. Avoiding External Influence
One of the main reasons for our secrecy was to avoid the barrage of unsolicited opinions that often accompany name announcements. Early opinions can be powerful and sometimes detrimental. They can introduce doubt, second-guessing, and unnecessary stress. Similarly, when launching a startup, nonprofit, or new concept, early feedback can sometimes derail the creative process. Premature scrutiny can dilute the vision, leading to compromises that may not align with the original idea.
Consider: Have you found early feedback to be a friend or foe in your creative journey?
3. The Heisenberg Principle in Practice
The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle states that the act of observing a phenomenon inevitably changes it. This applies to the ideation process as well. When an idea is exposed to external observation too early, it can alter the original concept. The scrutiny and opinions of others can shift the direction and essence of the idea, sometimes leading to a final product that is far removed from the initial vision. By keeping ideas private during their early stages, creators can preserve the purity and integrity of their vision.
Consider: How might early observation have altered your original vision?
4. Protecting the Ideation Process
Nurturing a newborn idea is crucial. Just as we protected our baby’s name, entrepreneurs and creators must protect their new notions. This early stage is delicate, demanding freedom from external pressures to explore and refine the concept. Keeping the idea private allows for organic growth and development, ensuring it aligns with the creator’s vision before it’s exposed to the world.
Consider: Are you giving your idea the quiet time it needs to grow?
5. The Power of Commitment
There comes a moment, often referred to as the “burn the boats” moment, when a decision is made public and becomes final. For us, this was putting our baby’s name on the birth certificate. This act solidifies commitment, making the choice real and irreversible. In the world of startups and nonprofits, this could be the moment of a public launch or announcement. It’s a powerful act that turns an idea into reality, demanding full commitment and eliminating the possibility of retreat.
Consider: Have you experienced the transformative power of full commitment in your projects?
6. Finding the Balance
The key lies in balancing protection and feedback. There are times when external input is invaluable, providing insights that can refine and improve the idea. However, there are also times when the idea needs to be shielded, allowing it to develop without premature judgment. Navigating this balance involves knowing when to seek feedback and when to protect the integrity of the vision.
Consider: How do you determine when to seek feedback and when to safeguard your ideas?
About Time(ing)
Both in naming a baby and launching a new idea, timing is everything. The decision to share or withhold information is about protecting the delicate early stages of creation. By understanding when to seek feedback and when to safeguard the process, parents, entrepreneurs, and nonprofit leaders alike can ensure their decisions are true to their vision, ultimately leading to more confident and committed outcomes. While I have often thought that ideas are cheap and there is no point in keeping things secret or forcing NDAs on every conversation, I now think there are some exceptions.
Especially in cases when criticism may cause you to throw the baby out with the bath water.
Are you ready to protect and perfect your next big idea?
P.S. We named him Jamie, we think it goes well with Annaliese and Charlie.
