WOW vs HOW

Last week, I talked about thinking differently. My note was met with applause and cheers from the marketers, the think-different people. Simultaneously it received a round of caution from the numbers-don’t-lie readers, and I agree that there is wisdom in not venturing too far off the reservation.

So this is the balance between those two camps, and it is a lesson I learned in the early days of building Chick-fil-A Leader Academy.

My business partner Garrett Gravesen and I came in with wild ideas. We were bolstered by David Salyers, who was the Senior Vice President of Marketing over the project at the time and a dreamer himself. With the three of us in a brainstorm, it could easily turn into each person one-upping the last big idea.

But here is what we learned:

Every great team has a built-in tension between the dreamers and the doers.

The WOW people are the visionaries. They’re always dreaming, brainstorming, pushing the envelope.
The HOW people are the executors. They’re asking: How will this work? What’s the cost? Who’s doing what by when?

It’s tempting to pick a side. But thriving organizations don’t choose between WOW and HOW. They learn to balance both.

And that balance?

The GICOD—Good Idea Cut-Off Date

The GICOD is a simple idea we learned from another incredible leader at Chick-fil-A, L.J. Yankosky. L.J. is unique in that he’s an innovator with an engineering background. He implemented this strategy to allow us the space to dream while keeping us moving forward.

Here’s how things usually go wrong:

• The WOW crowd keeps throwing out ideas, sometimes great ideas, but the team never gains traction. Momentum dies in a swirl of brainstorming.
• The HOW crowd tries to keep things on track, but starts to shut down ideas just to survive the chaos. Creativity gets crushed under deadlines and logistics.

The GICOD solves this.

It’s a clear, non-negotiable moment when ideation stops and execution starts.

Before the GICOD: Dream big. Think bold. Say “WOW.”
After the GICOD: Make decisions. Build plans. Say “GO.”

This isn’t about stifling creativity. It’s about channeling it.
It says: “Yes, we want your ideas, but we also need to deliver.”

The GICOD:

Creates clarity. No more wondering which ideas are still in play. Everyone knows what’s locked in.

Respects both mindsets. Dreamers know there’s a time for their ideas. Doers know there’s a point where the noise stops.

Builds trust. People stop fearing that last-minute changes will blow up their plans.

Drives results. Because great ideas are only as good as their execution.

So how do you make the GICOD effective?

1. Set it early and clearly. Don’t surprise your team. Let everyone know when GICOD is coming—and what it means.
2. Stick to it. No last-minute “just one more idea” exceptions. That erodes everything.
3. Celebrate both sides. Honor the idea people and the execution heroes. Both are building something bigger than themselves.

WOW without HOW is chaos.
HOW without WOW is stagnation.

But when you build a culture that welcomes both, and draw a clear line with a cut off date, you get focused innovation. Big ideas that actually ship. Teams that dream and deliver.

When’s your next GICOD? Because the sooner you set it, the sooner your team can stop spinning and start winning.

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