Don't Just Accumulate Good Ideas. Act on Them! by Marc LeVine

“Be?a goal-setter, a go-getter, all the while, moving,?in?humility and kindness.” ―?Kamini Arichandran

Do you think people don’t LOVE IT when they are referred to as “Go Getters?”? They sure do! Who wouldn’t wish to be thought of someone who doesn’t wait around for success to fall into his/her lap? Go-getters are highly motivated to go after what they want.?On the flip side, does anyone really like to be considered a procrastinator??While they wait, others achieve.

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Truth is that the energy and spirit of “Can-do-ism” isn’t as strong as it once was.?Too many people today are less inspired by Go Getters than in the days of American rugged individualism tied to our American Dream. And even more are unfamiliar and uninspired by those virtues that often drive others to succeed, such as: decisiveness, determination, passion, and greater sense of urgency. We all need to be more like Patton’s 3rd Army than Little Bo Peep’s heard of sheep and lead others to getting things done! Enjoy the victory dance that follows.

Some people have lost that excitement and desire to “make things happen,” over the past couple of decades.?Many can easily wait until tomorrow or the next day to take action or just see what happens. Some believe that being a go-getter uses up far too much energy. And worse, they think Go Getters appear too hyper and silly whenever they “take the ball and run with it.” They have likely been spoiled by being handed too many “participation awards” they didn’t earn for excellence, rather than being given individual contributor awards for being standouts.

Why is this happening? Blame part of it on the double-edge sword called teamwork.?While teamwork is a great concept, it often allows no room for a “home run hitter to step up to the plate to hit the ball out of the park.”?Instead, the collective beehive of team workers often includes a few procrastinators and slackers that create some built-in problems. ?Such individuals often “take the wind out of the sails” of the entire team effort. ?Under such limiting circumstances the “most valuable contributors” and “All-Stars” on the team have been pre-programmed to procrastinate and are held back - by peer pressures - from “rising to the occasion” and “taking the bull by the horns” to win one for the team.

We need more Go Getters to shine the light on victory for all of us. ?They should be encouraged to help motivate and empower us all to greater achievement. Because Go Getters are born to win and their effect on each of us should be much greater, as it once was when we "went to the moon, not because it was easy. ?But because it was hard."

Many of us don’t do justice for today’s go-getters.?They are too often discouraged from forging ahead to “take the hill.“ Many have been accused of “grandstanding” and “not playing well with others in the sandbox.” Some deserve criticism, but not all. ?There are plenty of unselfish Go Getters among us.

In looking for a proper analogy, we must once again come to realize it is the flame and not the rubbing together of two sticks that actually cooks the meat.?The flame immediately knows what is expected of it and gets right to it without any fanfare, prodding or delay.? After all, mankind gave up on having to rub two sticks together centuries ago and created the match, the lighter and gas stove to instantly combust materials. ?Who would ever want to waste any additional time igniting a flame for warmth and cooking??Just spark it! Let it does its job as it is meant to.

Here's the reality of “go-getting,” though.?Too much of anything is no good and just as we learned about everything else in life some balance is always welcome.

While we admire Marvel and DC comics' super heroes, who can “swoop in to save the day,” no one really wants to “invite any bull into a China shop.”?The latter situation often causes more harm than it does good.?It is also not necessarily the best example of a Go Getter. Isn’t the rambunctious bull based on our human propensity to be impulsive and wild. Impulsivity coupled with lack of experience, emotional maturity and general common sense can spell trouble and set everyone up for failure.

The main takeaway here is to be decisive, but also inclusive.?To be a Go-Getter, we don’t necessarily need to take over an entire situation and win it all by ourselves. Being a Go-Getter can be better represented as someone being a useful facilitator, who gets things going and keeps the team moving forward.?Go Getting can be viewed as a form of classic leadership; helping others to overcome difficult obstacles and defeat bouts of indecision.

Think of who Captain America is to the other powerful Avengers.?He represents discipline and strategic thinking.?Before the Hulk goes busting up buildings, Captain America usually lays out a workable plan that takes advantage of each individual Avenger’s powerful strengths. He helps them matrix their unique superpowers in such a way for them to complement each other effectively and efficiently. These combined powers can help the unified team “shift gears like a well-oiled machine” and direct their individual super skills towards whatever evil forces they are confronted with. It is this kind of balance that works best to gain the upper hand in solving even the most challenging problems as smoothly and as quickly as possible.

Please review each cliché and analogy I intentionally included within this post. Younger generations may be less familiar with some of them because they are equally unfamiliar of those principles most Go Getters seek to worship or avoid.?Our “Greatest Generation” coined most of them, because they valued and appreciated the Go Getter mindset, perhaps more so than many of us do today. As the Loki character remarks in the Marvel "Avengers" film - "Your heroes are defeated and scrambled." The film's scriptwriter wrote that line for a reason.

To be a true go-getter one must be committed to getting results by stepping up to save the day or be willing to lead others to keep moving forward.??

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The Author

Listen to Marc's latest interview on “Failing for You” with Jordan Yates

Marc LeVine is a graduate of Syracuse (NY) University with a degree in Industrial Psychology, Marc is currently Talent Acquisitions and Learning and Development Lead at Thermo Systems. He is the recipient of the Excellence in Talent Acquisitions Award from HR Awards in 2021.

Marc's prior employment includes senior Human Resources and Staffing Industry management roles with Edgewood Properties in Piscataway, NJ, Brickforce Staffing in Edison, NJ, InfoPro Inc. in Woodbridge NJ and Plainsboro, NJ and Harvard Industries in Farmingdale, NJ, a former Fortune 500 company. He also served as Director of Human Resources for New Jersey Press, the parent company of the Asbury Park Press, Home News and Tribune and WKXW-NJ101.5. Earlier in his career, Marc served as Director of Career Services and Placement at Union Technical Institute in Eatontown and Neptune, NJ. In addition, Marc owned and operated Integrity Consulting Associates, a New Jersey based Human Resources and Social Media Marketing firm for 11 years. Marc also served as Council President in his hometown of Freehold Borough, NJ