Seven A’s of Accomplishment: Action

In an earlier post, I identified and briefly described the “Seven A’s of Accomplishment”:

In my last post, I described the Approach factor.  In this post, I will expand upon the fifth Accomplishment factor: Action.   I will do so by answering the following questions:

• What is the Action factor?
• What are the key aspects of the Action factor?

What is the Action Factor?

This may seem like a dumb question to ask, however it is not!  — Not at all.  I know a few people who are highly ambitious, have a great attitude, more than enough aptitude, and a “perfect” approach, yet somehow never took action or followed-through. The Action factor is where the rubber meets the road.  It is where the idea, goal, project, or plan goes from paper to reality.

Action is the first test of your real Ambition level.  It is when you first test how bad you really want to accomplish your aim.  In the Action stage, you start to bring things to life.  It entails the execution of the items that should lead to accomplishing what you want or need.  Action is the intentional movement towards accomplishment.  It is driven by your Ambition and is guided by your Attitude, Aptitude and Approach.

If you find yourself not taking action or following through on your plan, you need to start by going back to check on your Ambition.  Make sure your rational is clear.  That is the main source of energy.  Ask yourself:

• Do I have a strong reason behind my Ambition?
• Do I feel that I have the “where with all”  to get it done?
• Do I know what the “reward” of my achievement will be?
• Is the perceived “reward” valuable to me?

Remember that Ambition alone will not suffice.  If you feel you have the energy from ambition, you should also verify your Attitude, Aptitude, and Approach.  These guide Action and thus play a key role.  However, I believe that lack of Action will most likely be associated with the amount of energy coming from your Ambition.

What are the key aspects of Action?

As far as I am concerned, the most important aspect of Action is alignment.  Actions need to be highly aligned with your aim.   Spinning your wheels will create a lot of smoke, smell, and noise; but no movement, until you get some traction.   Misaligned or misguided action consumes time and resources and barely moves the ball forward.  You need to find the most efficient way to transfer the energy of your action into progress toward your aim. When your actions are aligned with your goal, it is like hitting a ball on the sweet spot.  That’s how you get maximum yards and hit home runs in sports.  In an earlier post, I mentioned that the original plan seldom takes us to the end.  Change is eminent in most endeavors.  Action/Goals alignment is fundamental to managing the amount of change  necessary to accomplish.  Constantly test alignment before actions are taken.  That will help.

Also, be aware of “analysis paralysis”.  This means that in case of doubt, and in the absence of better information, do something, however misaligned it may seem.  For not acting is ultimately the worst thing you “can do”.

So, “Just Do It!” as the infamous Nike® tag says.

The BEST is Yet to Come!

Epi Torres, CEO