As a Leader, You Have to Take Action!

Effective leadership requires a number of core capabilities; purpose, strategy, influence, to name but a few. However, it doesn’t matter how strong your knowledge is in each area if you fail at one important thing – implementation!

If you don’t take action then it really doesn’t matter how powerful your vision is or how strong your systems are, until you take action it is only theory.

Success as a leader comes down to actually putting things into practise. We can read all the books in the world about making homemade lasagne; but until we’re in the kitchen kneading piles of dough, we’re not going to be great at making lasagne.

Strange analogy, I know (I’m married to an Italian, lasagne came to mind!), but it demonstrates my point well. You have to actually do something for it to become a reality.

This applies to your business too. It’s when you take action that you will start to see some real results. I can’t tell you how often I hear business owners talk about their plans and strategies only to meet with them a month later and nothing has been implemented. It may be a great idea but it won’t come to fruition on its own, you have to implement those plans. Take action!

The difference between those who succeed and those who don’t is that successful leaders are committed to following through and implementing what they said they would do. They put in the hard yards and they hold others accountable so they follow through too.

When we have a new project idea, it can be quite exciting. Implementing it is not nearly as exciting. It usually involves tedious planning, organising, sorting, delegating and doing. That’s not nearly as much fun; it’s easier to go on to thinking about something else and feeling that excitement again.

Here is the key, before going on to the next project, take a look at the following:

1. Review how well you followed through and completed the previous great idea?
2. Organise yourself a task list to take your idea from thought to action.
3. Look at it each day and map your progress. That will help you with the determination to keep going.
4. Note the role each task plays in the purpose and vision of your goals.
5. Accept that there may be set backs and challenges along the way (and there will be).

 So much of what we do as leaders comes down to mindset. We need to be able to focus and follow through, keep up the motivation to complete the task long after the initial excitement has subsided.

I find Stephen Covey’s “start with the end in mind” approach really helpful, it keeps my eye on the vision and gives me the determination to plough through the phases of a task. I know where I want to go and that I have to endure these steps to get there. I also know that if I don’t implement what needs to be done, then I’m not going to get there and neither will those I am leading.

It’s as simple as that!

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