Inaction IS Action: Part Two

Last month we shared the above quote from Dale Carnegie, along with three tips to to help you overcome inaction:

1. Be Self Aware

2. Set Deadlines

3. Focus on Positive Outcomes

If you missed it, you can read Part One on the Culture Spark website. This month we are sharing three additional tips to ensure that you start 2019 off as an effective leader.

4. Accept that any action is better than no action- we all make mistakes, but we’ve also heard that most people when they look back at the end of their life, their regret comes not from the actions they took, but from the times they chose not to act at all.

5. Embrace change- if your organization sees you struggling to make decisions, or being fearful of what may come, they will reflect and adopt those behaviors.  Our job as leaders is to embrace change, be thoughtful about how to adapt, and lead the charge with confidence and vigor.  Nobody wants to follow an indecisive leader.  People are compelled to follow decisive and action-oriented leaders.

6. Don’t solve issues in isolation, but rather involve your leadership team- the best  way to get your leaders to “buy-in” to a decision, is to allow them first to “weigh-in”.  Studies have shown that the power of group think leads to better decisions.  You can show confidence in your team by allowing them to debate the pros and cons of important decisions, while allowing you to make the final call.  The TED Talk below delves into the topic of group think.

I challenge you to choose action over inaction in 2019.  Employ the six tips shared over the last two months and you are sure to become a more effective leader.  Perhaps Robert Zoellick put it in the simplest terms: “There are many roads to prosperity, but one must be taken. Inaction leads nowhere.”

Which tip do you find the most valuable?  Head over to the Culture Spark LinkedIn Page to share your thoughts with other business leaders.

Action is the foundational key to all success. — Pablo Picasso