The achievable outcome also gives you something to point to when you want to raise the visibility of what you are doing and get support for expanding whatever the idea is. Saying “look what I did in a limited way, the outcome was X” gives you credibility when you walk into the C's office to discuss how to get to the next level, ask for more funding, etc…

To expand on your point about pitching your idea and not blindsiding a senior exec it’s important to know why they don’t like to be surprised. One reason is that they didn’t think of the idea. The other is that they may be put off that you are spending time on something they don’t understand and/or don’t what you to focus on that is not in line with whatever their plan is.

This leads to the topic of agenda. Virtually all people are motivated by some type of an agenda. Keep that in mind and use it to your advantage if you decide to move on a project that isn’t sanctioned or approved by higher-ups. Some companies value unsolicited innovation and unfortunately others do not. If you understand a specific agenda of those above you AND can tie your project to that agenda you virtually always can get support for doing something (growing revenue, reducing cost, expanding markets, whatever).

Thanks for helping me think through that.