DEVELOPING ACTION-MINDEDNESS

Getting an idea or ideas is actually a piece of cake. All of us can do it pretty well.

On the other hand, putting them to work or converting them into reality - my good friend, Dilip Mukerjea, likes to use the term: moving ideas to ca$h - takes a lot of hardwork.

It requires deliberate efforts on our part, in addition to decision making as well as planning.

Not only planning & scheduling the tactics to put the ideas into action, but also planning for possible consequences, as actions have dire consequences.

Maybe, that's why very few people like to engage in it.

I reckon another way to look at the whole endeavour is understanding that ideas alone don't create success. Breakthrough or good ideas may give you the euphoria for a short while. That's about it.

I certainly recall my hectic days in the corporate world.

My bosses - Swiss, German, Chinese, Swedish, Indonesian - were not interested at all in - of course they listened to (or maybe, they just pretended to listen to) - my fancy "theories to work", whenever I did my presentations to the board.

All they were interested - or should I say obsessed with - were the performance results... the bottom line, to be more precise. Ultimately, actions spoke louder than words.

I also recall a very simple but valuable quote - actually, more of a lesson - that goes back to the 80's from the late Sim Kee Boon (1929-2007), at one time Head of the Singapore Civil Service (1979-1984) & best known for his pivotal role in building the Changi International Airport - making it the best in the world - & also turning around the loss-making Keppel Shipyard:

"The secret to success... is getting things done!"

So, how does one get things done?

How to develop action-mindedness, so to speak?

I like to share some ideas from my own experiences.

I reckon the first thing is to deal with fear, be it real or imagined.

The fear of the lack of ability. The fear of failure. The fear of looking stupid when our ideas don't work. The fear of ridicule from others. The fear of the unknown, because actions require a change in our status quo.

Worst still, we want to wait for the perfect conditions. We want more information for decision making.

The harsh reality is that, in today's turbulent world, where change is often exponential, how to wait for perfect conditions or more information? We just got to trust our own instincts.

Moving out of our comfort zone is always uncomfortable. I had gone through that journey myself. As a result, for many of us, we prefer to stay put.

The resultant problem with this choice is that a host of other problems start to ensue, like procrastination, inertia, etc., which aggravates the situation.

Interestingly, most peak performance experts - so do I - believe that action conquers fear.

All it takes is essentially the first step. Baby step, as they say. Once we take that first step, all fears dissipate. This fact drives home the point:

Fear = False evidence appearing real!

In fact, I like the way Michael Jordan, probably the greatest basketball player of all time, puts it:

"Any fear is an illusion. You think something is standing in your way, but nothing is really there."

I reckon another good way to deal with fear is to consider the pleasure/pain equation, as postulated by celebrity coach, Anthony Robbins.

What gives you pleasure? What excites you? What gives you pain? What bugs you?

Focus on the pleasure or excitement side. It will automatically takes good care of the pain or bug side.

So, to go with NIKE's most enduring marketing message over the years: JUST DO IT!

I would suggest, as a first step, sit down & write out a simple plan of action, with a number of important objectives you wish to achieve.

I often use the acronym, S-M-A-R-T, to think about my plan of action:

S = specific tasks to achieve your objectives: list out all the steps, with priority, from beginning to end;

M = metrics: define how you would like to measure the tasks, so that you know immediately when you have completed them; in a way, it's your feedback mechanism;

A = accountability: sometimes, your tasks may involve other people, e.g. your spouse, your boss, your colleagues, your subordinates, etc.; so, you need to apportion for better control & monitoring;

R = resources: you need to identify all the stuff, like manpower, money, materials, machines, methods, etc., you would need to get work done;

T = time for completion of specific tasks: by next week; next 30 days; next 90 days; short-term, medium-term, long-term;

Once you have the plan of action in place, all you have to do is follow through.

In a nut shell, I would like to add that action-mindedness boils down to revving up our ingenuity engine. Luckily, each & every one of us is born with one.

To understand the engine metaphor further, it's our delivered horse-power that measures how powerful we are.

To end this post, I like to quote Albert Einstein:

"Nothing changes until something moves!"