I hear a lot of big talk from leaders. Epic plans! Grandiose statements about “doing this” and “delivering on that!”
Big talk is important. It can inspire others to follow you. It can motivate teams to take that extra risk to achieve breakthrough results. It can be…something special.
It can also be a colossal failure.
Plan the Big Talk
I’ve tried lots of bold strategies in my career. Some were wildly successful, and others….well…not so much. One phrase, however, proved to be true in each scenario whether it was a winning idea or a losing one: preparation and execution.
The common trap of over-preparation often leads to inaction, which I’ve railed against many times before on this blog. We can never be fully prepared; rather, we just have to be as prepared as possibly without delaying the second half of this phrase.
Execution.
Execute (and monitor closely) the Big Talk
Simply putting together a good plan is not even remotely close to actually leading the effort. High success rates require leaders understand what is happening, recognize when the situation starts to drift from the original intent, and most importantly, not be afraid to jump in and literally lead the project across the finish line.
Too many leaders cower in fear when the anticipated outcome is “suddenly” at risk. They freeze up hoping to blame others instead of making real-time decisions to keep things moving forward.
Oh, how arrogance and fear get in the way of success!
How About You
When have you seen a leader struggle with the execution of a plan? Have they frozen in place when that plan seemed to be in jeopardy; or, did they have the resolve to pivot and personally ensure the correct decisions were made?
What did you do while they struggled? Did you jump in to help…or, stand idly by?
