Lots of great ideas but zero action

In my years working in corporate America, medical practices, and running my own business, I’ve heard a lot of great ideas; unfortunately, in most cases, no steps are taken to make these ideas a reality. I’ve put together a short list of reasons why leaders, managers, and staff members decide it’s best to forget that something good can happen if you take action.

work is painful

As a project manager, I often notice that people are excited about the results the initiative will produce. For example, a project is launched to create a new product that has enormous market potential. The excitement usually stops when work is assigned to team members. Although the project is important to the success of the company, people feel that the additional work is a burden and hope that the idea will be scrapped. One reason is that the project can wait another year.

mediocrity is ok

Believe it or not, some leaders are willing to accept falling behind the competition. To get into the game, this project and many others must be started, planned, executed, and controlled. Leaders believe they have a piece of the pie, and while it’s not great, it’s good enough to stay in business. Invoices are paid on time and people are willing to work for the company. Since most of the work belongs to current clients, the workload and stress are manageable. In other words, the mediocre company is run by mediocre leaders and employees. The unfortunate reality is that the days for this type of company are numbered. Within a year or two, your market share will be gone, and mostly because customers will decide that someone else can offer better value.

incompetence reigns

Like me, I’m sure you’ve worked in companies where the leaders lack a clear understanding of what it takes to make the company successful. I remember a situation where an executive requested that the main office be moved closer to his home. He was tired of driving the 15 miles to his current office and felt that he could be much more productive if his commute were shortened to 5 minutes. You will find it interesting to know that he raised this topic at least 10 times in meetings with key stakeholders. His wish never came true, and he soon left the company. The job he took was 25 miles from his home. Go figure!

The bottom line here is that great ideas only make sense if someone is committed to making them happen. This means that a champion is required, which is someone who will work tirelessly to ensure that the planning and work gets done. This person should be a decision maker or someone who has the ear of the executive team.

There are people in companies who are willing to take on the challenge of getting things done. These people know when they can take on more work, and they also know when to ask to be removed from another job to focus on critical work. I’m sure you know who they are in your organization. You won’t find them near the water cooler or at break time because they are busy doing work. The other notable characteristic of go-getters is that they find making excuses a waste of time.