The Remarkably Simple 5-Word Question LEGO Asks Before Building Anything New

This expert opinion by Jason Aten, tech columnist, was originally published on Inc.com.

Most companies don’t struggle because they can’t come up with ideas. They struggle because they say yes to too many of them. They slowly drift away from what really matters in pursuit of new ideas and new products. Figuring out which ideas are worth saying yes to might just be the hardest challenge facing most companies.

That’s the thought that stuck with me after my conversation with Tom Donaldson, SVP of Creative Play Lab at the LEGO Group. (I’d encourage you to take a minute to listen to the entire conversation on the Creative Effort podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.) Donaldson leads the team responsible for LEGO’s most forward-looking innovation, including SMART Play, the new platform and SMART Brick the company unveiled at CES last week.

The SMART Brick pretty much stole the show at CES, and I was interested in learning more—not just about the technology and the brick, but how LEGO Group turns ideas like this into real products. It turns out that a big part of that answer to the latter question is knowing which products not to make.

SMART Play took years to develop. It required bespoke chips, custom sensors, and even creating its own charging technology. LEGO could not prototype its way into this casually. At some point, leadership had to decide whether the idea deserved real money, real time, and real belief. That’s where a remarkably simple five-word question comes in: “Is this a LEGO product?”

Donaldson explained that this question sits at the center of how ideas get evaluated. “We’re a company with purpose,” He says. “We’re a company with values… There are certain things that might be brilliant for another company to do, but not brilliant for us to do.”

It’s not about whether something is technically impressive or would look good in a keynote. It’s not even whether someone thinks it could sell. The first and hardest filter is identity.

And that starts with LEGO Group’s users. Specifically, kids.

Creative Play Lab spends a significant amount of time studying unmet needs through surveys, ethnographic research, and observation. They put early prototypes in kids’ hands long before anything looks finished.

These prototypes are rough. Sometimes they are very rough. The goal, however, is not to test whether something is ready to launch, but to test whether something resonates even when it barely works. Does it invite play? Does it make sense instinctively? That early exposure does something critical. It builds belief from the outside in.

Of course, user validation alone is not enough to greenlight a major investment in an unknown new product or technology. In our conversation, Donaldson described a process that happens internally. Ideas need champions.

“There’s definitely sort of executive belief-building, some storytelling internally about why it’s important and what it would bring,” Donaldson told me. “Some of that does require those who are trying to pitch the idea to really build a compelling case of why it is.”

Those champions must tell a clear story about why the idea matters, what it unlocks, and how it fits LEGO’s purpose. Belief has to be built inside the organization as well.

This is where many companies get stuck. Internal storytelling becomes detached from external reality. Leaders convince each other that something is exciting, then hope customers agree later. LEGO insists on both. External resonance and internal conviction move together, or not at all.

Even then, many ideas still fail the final test.

Donaldson was candid when talking about this. Some ideas might make great products for other companies and still be wrong for LEGO. That is not a weakness—it’s a choice. LEGO Group does not try to be everything to everyone. It operates with a clear sense of purpose, values, and constraints. The company has been iterating on the same system of play since 1955. It patented the LEGO Brick in 1958, and every set today has to work with those original bricks.

That discipline is rare, especially in an era that rewards expansion and experimentation. Many leaders feel pressure to prove they are innovative by doing more. LEGO’s approach is the opposite. Innovation is not about how many things you make, it’s about whether your ideas are a good fit—for the brand, and for its users.

SMART Play passed that test because it felt deeply LEGO. It doesn’t replace the brick—it extends it. The technology is sophisticated, but it is deliberately hidden. Sensors, sound synthesis, light animations, and brick-to-brick awareness all exist to serve physical play, not distract from it. The experience feels intuitive for someone who loves playing with LEGO Bricks.

For leaders, the takeaway is not “do more research” or “build better prototypes.” It is simpler and harder than that. You need a clear answer to the question of who you are as an organization. Without that, every idea looks tempting. With it, most ideas eliminate themselves.

The five-word question forces restraint. It creates a boundary and gives leaders permission to say no, even when an idea is clever or seems like it’s likely to be profitable.

The question serves as a lesson for everyone leading a creative team. Your job is not to be the smartest person in the room or the boldest visionary. Your job is to create a process where the first question people ask when they encounter an idea is whether it makes sense—whether it’s a good fit for your brand and your users.

SMART Play is a compelling product story. The more important story is how LEGO decided it was worth building at all. That discipline is not flashy. It does not make headlines. But it’s how a company like LEGO Group turns ideas into something delightful.