BIG Action Friday #1 - Plan, Track, Complete
Let’s face the facts, the world of business is not getting any easier to navigate. Technologies are disruptive. Business models are evolving. The way that people interact with tech and business is increasingly inconsistent. This can be challenging for the careerist and the business owner.
But it’s not all that scary if you are prepared. It’s a challenge, but for those who love challenges it can even be fun. I imagine if you’re reading this post, you fall right into this category.
We’re going to call this column “Big Action Fridays”. This will accompany our new podcast series of the same name. Together we will dig into actionable steps to level up your place career and business. The Big Action Friday blog will be published every other Friday. Subscribe here so you can empower yourself to achieve your goals. Bright futures are in store for those who take big smart actions in life.
What are we calling ‘Big Actions’? Big Actions are not baby steps, although those are also necessary too. Big Actions are the bold activities that move life, business, and career forward. Big Actions get you out of your comfort zone. Big Actions aren’t a bunt, but a swing for the fences (if I may use a baseball analogy). Big Actions are necessary to reach Big Goals. Big Actions express true priorities. Big Actions are what make successful people successful. Don't be afraid of taking big action. Nelson Mandela said, “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
What we are talking about here is getting your desires out of your mind and making them real in the world. If everything stays contained in your mind, it will never become your reality. But when you bring it out by taking action, then you are demanding it. When you demand it, you stand an exponentially better chance of receiving it.
Sometimes this looks like presenting your ideas to that person you thought was too powerful or busy to talk to. It may look like leaving your corporate gig to break out on your own. It may be a complete change of occupation. Perhaps it is making the commitment to learn a new software tool or methodology to advance in your career. It might even be a matter of stepping down from a managerial role to take on something less demanding so that you can focus on your family or health. Success isn’t all about money or power, despite what you might see on social media, right? And leadership isn't a job title.
The IiPM podcast is a perfect example of taking big action. It is a result of committing to the concept and having the courage to share it with the community. No small steps involved. It was a seemingly ‘off-the-cuff’ massive action (listen to Episode 16 for the whole story). It was also the result of years of decision-making and life experiences. The evolution that has followed and is happening now is the result of ONE BIG ACTION taken by an almost nobody. If that action never happened, neither would all the things that have followed.
How do you determine what actions to take? It’s all relative. But I would ask you this: what are your years of experiences and life-long desires telling you about where you should be now? I don’t mean only in career. You could be 15 years old right now listening to this and still be able to answer this question.
If you want to know what you are all about, start journaling the little actions you do all day. What things or activities do you naturally gravitate towards? Why? What skills have you picked up along the way? How do you translate this gravitational pull and skill set into value creation? How do you deliver that value to the market? This applies to careerists and entrepreneurs alike. Our livelihoods depend on the value we create and the efficiency of its delivery.
Why BIG action? You may be asking yourself “Isn’t just doing what I’ve always done been good enough?”. If you think so. I’m not going to try and convince anyone that what they are doing isn’t working or that is wrong for them. Only you can know that. I’m going to guess you have lots of ideas about how things should be. An ancient, wise Chinese proverb says - “Talk doesn’t cook rice”. If the metaphorical rice is your solution, you’re going to have to break out the pots and light a fire.
Even if you’re satisfied with where you are, do you think that what you are doing is going to be this way forever? Or is change inevitable? Much of what we talk about at IiPM is preparation for change. It’s kind of the basis of our existence here.
“The future of people, practices, and technologies” is our slogan. Sometimes we throw a verb in front of that. Sometimes it is “Exploring the future of people, practices, and technologies” and sometimes it is “Presenting the future of people, practices, and technologies”.
Today it will be “Preparing for the future of people, practices, and technologies”. What does the future hold for your place in the job market or in the world of business? It is difficult to predict accurately, but do we have indicators. We can see the technologies evolve in almost real time. We are watching stalwart businesses completely change structure. We are identifying the need to do things different in projects through statistics.
You will have limitations. Some external, some internal. Some will be physical, some will be time constraints, some will be conflicts of interest. If limitations prevent you from achieving your goals, then the first actions need to be to remove them or mitigate them. If they cannot be removed, then use them as a source of creativity. Necessity is the mother of invention. If you want it bad enough, you’ll figure out a way to make it happen.
Based on this foundation – we’re going to build a Big Action Plan together. You can find a download at here to get you started.
Key Steps in the Process:
1. Plan big actions
2. Track big actions
3. Follow-through big actions
No big revelations here. Plan, track, and execute.
Start taking the actions necessary to achieve your desires. Get to work. Build the life, the business, the career, that tech product, that new way of doing something important. In the immortal words of Ralph Waldo Emerson - "What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say." Let your actions be LOUDER than your words.
Next Friday, we’ll discuss my Big 3 Concepts for taking Big Actions. In the meantime, if you want to start leveling up in your career or business, I’d love to talk to you about it! You can now schedule time to talk with me by following this link and selecting “Career” or “Business”.