Think of a great leader.
Steve Jobs? Had it.
Michael Jordan? Had it.
Elon Musk? Has it. (Perhaps to a fault.)
What is the “it” that I am talking about, the secret sauce?
Is it team building? No.
Is it strategic thinking? No.
Is it visionary ideas? No.
What I am talking about is simple, and, if done repeatedly and well, can lead to all those other things.
A bias for action.
Why a Bias for Action is a Prerequisite to Powerful Leadership
Have you ever been part of a team that was coming up with the strategic plan for the year? Or a financial forecast?
Were you energized?
My experiences with this, both at large organizations and small, was that they were soul-sucking. Everyone suffered through a seemingly required (and certainly dreadful) process until the team got to a lowest-common denominator plan that no one was excited about, nor paid much attention to after they left the conference room.
The teams that were exciting to be a part of were the teams that tried things. The teams that put out things into the real world and then adapted.
They were led by people who were willing to do the same.
The Three Things That Action Brings
Data. Putting out a piece of content or a prototype or even a product with a price gets you immediate feedback. So does trying a new move in a game or a new line in a concert.
Did it work? What did you like? What didn’t you like?
No arguments about what might happen and what might not. Discussions about what actually did work.
Permission to take risk. If YOU take action, even if and especially if you fail, you give permission to everyone else to do the same. And when you take risk, especially if that risk is managed appropriately, at some point you tend to get results.
Speed. There is no faster way to see if something is going to work than to try it. And if it doesn’t work, you get a really good sense of what needs to change. And you change it and try again (see permission to take risk above).
Why Don’t You Take Action?
If you’re like me, you’ve spent a lot of years not taking action, not taking risks, not doing the one thing that really lights you up.
During those years, decades even, there was only one thing that was getting in my way.
Fear.
Fear might show up as a lot of different things–
Strategizing.
Planning.
Being practical.
Waiting for the “right time.”
Avoiding “failure” (while avoiding success as well).
But what’s on the other side of that fear?
Everything you say you want. And probably much much more.
For you, for your team, for your company.
What’s One Small Action You Can Take Today?
Get moving, and it gets easier.
Do one thing a day for 30 days and see where you are.
I bet it will amaze you.
Now do that for the rest of your life. And see not only what you do, but more important, how you feel.
Experience with this? Let me know in the comments.