Giving away all your best ideas to your employer

Question

I'm about to start a new position soon that gives me a lot of creative control over a projects direction, having been in development for a long time with creative aspects like design and marketing mixed in this excites me - I've done similar work before and grew companies with this very work so I do have confidence in my abilities. I've always considered myself a creative person first and this new job may finally bring back the spark in life I've missed for a while.I've already began the formulation of some ideas that I see can really shift this brand in a whole different league. With the preface of understanding what I'm saying may sound like a bit like I think too highly of my ideas (as ideas are infinite), I can't help but feel some regret that IF my ideas are correct and I happen to grow the company as hired to do so, that i'll be giving it away my best ideas away and not keeping them for myself.I don't want to just go with the motions of my position, I would like to grow the company but is this always the best choice?Has anyone had experience feeling like they've put too work, or has it actually paid off giving it your all in a position? I've had some bad experiences in the past so I'm hoping to hear some other points of view I may be missing

codingdave · Accepted Answer

I get where you are coming from, but any ideas you have today will evolve into even better ideas over time as you implement them for your employer, so you don't need to hold back on them. What you might want to hold back is that next generation of ideas. In a few years, when you realize a new set of ideas that put your old ones to shame, it is time to decide whether to keep going with your employer or go out and do them on your own.

nness · Answer

I feel that, and I mean this politely, you are over-estimating the worth of your ideas.Ideas is worthless without execution &mdash; and most only generate value in an environment where the is the right people, funding, influence to execute it successfully. If these are ideas you could execute on your own, or with your own team through your own funding, then it might be worth considering why you aren't.

JoeAltmaier · Answer

Don't know what the position is. But that description matches some existing jobs. It's what the pay is for.
Good news is, do it for a while, get a reputation, then go somewhere else and get paid better to do it. Better yet, then you join a small company as a principle of some kind.
Ideas are, as you say, infinite. You'll have more later.

beardyw · Answer

It sounds like what you are paid to do. If it was outside your scope I think it might be different.