ACTION
Most problems result from one of two reasons: ACTION without thinking or thinking without ACTION.
Thinking good thoughts alone is not USEFUL. To provide a SERVICE we must act. To LISTEN well use active listening (removing distractions, listening to signs and sounds and feelings, probing, feeding back understanding).
The USEFULNESS EQUATION can provide a framework to our ACTION:
- Are we doing the right thing? (Relevance) Are we doing what matters?
- Are we doing it the right way? (Validity) Do we act in a way to achieve desirable consequences and minimize undesirable consequences?
- Are we doing it at the right pace? (Work) Are we doing it efficiently? Too slow and we waste our resources or miss opportunities. Too fast and we may need to do it over (waste our resources) and miss doing it well (miss opportunities).
Is there something you are thinking about without progress? Maybe it is time to think about ACTION – Should you do it? How should you do it? When should you do it?
