TAKE ACTION
WHY IT MATTERS
Things don’t move forward by them self without help. Results don’t come out of nothing. Success doesn’t come without effort. Issues, problems, and opportunities don’t get resolved unless someone takes the initiative to do it. Leaders that take action get the work of the organization done while others are still thinking and talking about what to do. They are getting results while others are just getting started. They are focused on delivering value in an impressive way. Leaders that don’t take action, or hesitate when action needs to be taken, can only watch as others pass them by. By failing to get things moving they see productivity fall, problems go unresolved, and potential opportunities dry up.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Leaders that take action don’t wait to tackle a task until the last moment. They see what has to be accomplished and make it happen. They get the job done without hesitating. When others are still wondering what to do, they are already busy doing it. They know work doesn’t do itself, so they don’t waste time procrastinating.
Leaders that take action don’t let the difficulty of a task cripple their ambition to conquer it. Instead of becoming paralyzed by hard things their drive is ignited by them. Instead of letting their fears or frustrations stand in the way of acting decisively, they plow through them. They believe things only get worked out, solved, and resolved if you step forward into the unknown to fix them. Nothing is too big or too difficult for them to take on.
Leaders that take action don’t stand still. They don’t let a day or a moment pass them by without taking full advantage of it. They have the ability to get the very most out of every minute they have instead of wasting time on things that don’t really matter.
Leaders that take action assess situations quickly to determine what should happen. They don’t rush to hasty or unfounded decisions, but they also don’t need to know every last detail or piece of data before making a sound decision. They see the big picture, note what they do know, decide what to do, rally their people, and get to work.
Leaders that take action look beyond what is expected of them to see what other contributions they can make. They aren’t satisfied with doing enough. The term “getting by” isn’t in their dictionary. They are results-driven. They aren’t pacified until they have surpassed their goals. They want the challenge of doing what others think can’t be done.
Leaders that take action don’t need to have mastered new skills before taking on new tasks or assignments. They are self-teachers. They are self-motivators. They are confident enough to figure things out as they go. They aren’t intimidated by the unknown, or by not knowing how to do something. They aren’t afraid to dive in and just figure things out.
Leaders that move to action don’t need outside motivation to encourage them to step it up and go the extra mile. They motivate themselves. They don’t judge their success by working eight hours a day. They judge their success by achieving what they said they would achieve.
BELIEFS
BEST PRACTICES
SELF-REFLECTION
WORDS OF CAUTION
PSYCHOMETRIC 360 QUESTIONS
Things don’t move forward by them self without help. Results don’t come out of nothing. Success doesn’t come without effort. Issues, problems, and opportunities don’t get resolved unless someone takes the initiative to do it. Leaders that take action get the work of the organization done while others are still thinking and talking about what to do. They are getting results while others are just getting started. They are focused on delivering value in an impressive way. Leaders that don’t take action, or hesitate when action needs to be taken, can only watch as others pass them by. By failing to get things moving they see productivity fall, problems go unresolved, and potential opportunities dry up.
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE
Leaders that take action don’t wait to tackle a task until the last moment. They see what has to be accomplished and make it happen. They get the job done without hesitating. When others are still wondering what to do, they are already busy doing it. They know work doesn’t do itself, so they don’t waste time procrastinating.
Leaders that take action don’t let the difficulty of a task cripple their ambition to conquer it. Instead of becoming paralyzed by hard things their drive is ignited by them. Instead of letting their fears or frustrations stand in the way of acting decisively, they plow through them. They believe things only get worked out, solved, and resolved if you step forward into the unknown to fix them. Nothing is too big or too difficult for them to take on.
Leaders that take action don’t stand still. They don’t let a day or a moment pass them by without taking full advantage of it. They have the ability to get the very most out of every minute they have instead of wasting time on things that don’t really matter.
Leaders that take action assess situations quickly to determine what should happen. They don’t rush to hasty or unfounded decisions, but they also don’t need to know every last detail or piece of data before making a sound decision. They see the big picture, note what they do know, decide what to do, rally their people, and get to work.
Leaders that take action look beyond what is expected of them to see what other contributions they can make. They aren’t satisfied with doing enough. The term “getting by” isn’t in their dictionary. They are results-driven. They aren’t pacified until they have surpassed their goals. They want the challenge of doing what others think can’t be done.
Leaders that take action don’t need to have mastered new skills before taking on new tasks or assignments. They are self-teachers. They are self-motivators. They are confident enough to figure things out as they go. They aren’t intimidated by the unknown, or by not knowing how to do something. They aren’t afraid to dive in and just figure things out.
Leaders that move to action don’t need outside motivation to encourage them to step it up and go the extra mile. They motivate themselves. They don’t judge their success by working eight hours a day. They judge their success by achieving what they said they would achieve.
BELIEFS
- The longer you take to get work started, the longer it will take to get work done.
- Nothing good ever comes by procrastinating for tomorrow what you could have done today.
- You will never have all of the information you want. You have to be willing to act decisively on what you know now.
- You can plan, talk, and think all you want, but until you actually do something you haven’t really accomplished anything.
- There isn’t enough time in a day to allow time to go to waste. You have to act now or risk losing your windows of opportunity.
- Problems and challenges are the reason to push harder, not the reason to let up and take your foot off the accelerator.
- You will learn more about what to do by diving in and doing it then you ever will by thinking about it.
- Having the best intentions in the world doesn’t mean anything if nothing actually gets done.
BEST PRACTICES
- Be quick to take action and move forward.
- Don’t let opportunities pass you by.
- Get the job done as best you can.
- Contribute beyond what is normally expected.
- Embrace chances to achieve the impossible.
- Go and figures out what you don’t know.
- Move quickly and decisively.
- Don’t do tomorrow what you can do today.
- Look for what else you can do to contribute.
- Work without needing a lot of oversight.
- Fill in your own skill and knowledge gaps.
- Don’t wait for issues to resolve themselves.
- Avoid unneeded delays and stoppages.
- Don’t get paralyzed by challenges.
- Don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis.
- Make the very best use of your time.
- Be self-motivated and self-accountable.
- Don’t sit on things too long.
- Have zero patience for procrastination.
- Determine quickly what needs to be done.
- Don’t confuse talking about work with work.
- Ask and volunteer to do the hard things.
SELF-REFLECTION
- Do I get things done today, or do I get stuck in the cycle of procrastination and putting things off until tomorrow?
- Do I roll up my sleeves and go to work, or do I get so overwhelmed by what needs to be done that I get paralyzed?
- Do I know when to close the books and get going, or do I get stuck in analysis paralysis?
- Do I seize my windows of opportunity, or do I let them close and pass me by because of non-action?
- Do I feel satisfied with meeting the status quo, or do I push the limits of what I can achieve?
- Do I motivate and regulate my own pace of work, or do I require a lot of supervision and motivation to do my work?
- Do I teach myself when I don’t know something, or do I need someone to show me how to do everything?
- Do I hesitate to do what I know needs to be done, or do I make decisions and take actions without delay?
WORDS OF CAUTION
- Don’t move to action so quickly you forget to ask important questions, assess the situation, or gather critical information.
- Don’t proceed with the work before the people that are critical to helping you be successful are ready to proceed too.
- Don’t accept every project, and try to solve every problem, and overload yourself to the point you slowly burn out.
PSYCHOMETRIC 360 QUESTIONS
- I could improve how I do my work.
- Going above and beyond expectations is something I regularly do.
- I tackle my work with enthusiasm.
- I wish others would get out of my way of getting work done.
- Opportunities never pass me by.
- I like to work hard.