Decision Is Not Action. How To Make Things Happen.

Something that gets in the way of people’s forward movement on goals, projects, and tasks is not taking ACTION . . . whatever that action may be. It sounds simple, but often people leave a meeting or discussion, and made a decision, but don’t follow through. That’s not action . . . it’s a decision . . . and a decision means nothing unless you actually DO something. You won’t get to where you want to be by only making decisions. I have witnessed this throughout my career, coaching clients, and my own experience when I fall trap to this thinking.

If you find this is happening with you or others around you, here are some points to keep in mind to move things forward:

A decision is talk – an action makes things happen. There should be a short amount of time between a decision and the action that follows. You can tweak the action and course correct if needed, but always do something to take a step forward on the decision in a timely manner.

Know you won’t make everyone happy. Listen to what people have to tell you when making your decision, but once you make up your mind, you need to be able to tune out the critics. Worrying about what others think can often hold back action.

Right-size your next step. Sometimes people get paralyzed after a big decision and the question of “what now?” If you find yourself in this situation, be clear on the next move. Break it down into smaller chunks – and always be taking a next step forward.

Identify “who, what, when”. Once you make your decision, be clear in that moment on who will take action, what action will be taken and when will it be done by. If no one takes ownership to take the next step, it likely won’t get done. This part is skipped over too often.

Recurring issues are a sign of inaction or the wrong action.  If you feel like you are regularly having the same discussion about the same issue, ask yourself what actions you took and take an action to actually address the issue and progress forward.

React less. Reactions are usually just actions taken in haste and made with fear (skipping the thoughtful decision part). Stop and take a moment to determine if you are reacting to a situation or making a thoughtful decision how to proceed – and then take the necessary action.

Don’t let fear hold you back. Letting your fears take over kills momentum and keeps you stuck. You might make a bad decision or wrong action – but remember that you can always course correct if needed. The key is to get started and moving forward. What’s the next move and act on it?

If you’re not taking an action to move forward, you will go nowhere (or even move backwards). How can you tweak your approach to decisions and actions to ensure you are making things happen?

What Next?

You can sign up for Stacey's masterclass, The Confident "No" here.

Stacey L. Olson is a Leadership and Certified Positive Psychology Coach, has 15 years of corporate experience and has gone through her own transformational change from burning out to balanced in life while performing at a high level (both in her corporate career and own business). She works with professionals who want to work less, live more and be their best even with all the demands, high expectations and messiness of everyday life. Stacey is the founder of The Balanced Leader™ program and offers executive and leadership coaching, workshops, and speaking.