One of the most valuable traits of any employee or team member is someone who executes. A leader who gets it done. A team member who makes things happen. Is driven towards ACTION. However, most of us, at the end of the day, default towards INACTION. We lean towards giving up, quitting, stalling, "redirecting" our attention, or procrastinating. We start with a great idea, but getting to the finish line and "shipping" as Seth Godin likes to say is a rarity.
One of the things I love about our Catalyst team is that we have team members who get it done. Action and execution is one of our core values. Action and completion is what drives why and how we do what we do. I love being around leaders who are passionate about making ideas happen and moving the ball across the finish line.
So, a few points on being a leader of action, and not inaction, and making sure this permeates through your organization:
1. create a plan and stick to it.
2. set up a culture that is motivated towards completion, not just idea creation.
3. find doers, not talkers.
4. as the leader, let your team manage up way more than you manage down. Reversing the micromanaging system that many type A leaders automatically set up can free your team up to get things done. Make sure your team knows that on projects they are leading, you are just as accountable to them on getting things done as they are to you on projects you are leading.
5. if a project or initiative needs to be dropped, kill it immediately. Don't hesitate in freeing up your team to focus on the things that are truly important and need to get done.
6. Reward and celebrate action. Constantly. Let your team take pride in getting things done.
7. Model it. Ultimately, the best way to create a culture of action is to show and tell. You have to live this out as the leader. If you are motivated towards execution and getting things done, your team will be as well. I know many leaders who talk a lot about getting things done, but think that it's ultimately someone else's job on the team. This won't work.