Action isn't the same as progress
I've written before that not taking action is an acceptable response to a question. That is, sometime it's better to leave things alone than to try to "fix" them.
A corollary to that rule is "Action isn't the same as progress."
Working with a client recently, they asked me "Which of these ideas should we implement?" Part of my response was "Whichever you prioritize, make sure you can make progress on these ideas. Not just take action. Because action and progress are not the same."
It reminds me of motivational posters I used to see in my children's elementary school: "Success is measured by effort." Um, no. Success is measured by achieving your goals. The amount of effort you make is actually irrelevant to measuring your success.
So don't confuse "action" with "progress." They're not the same.
![]()
Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives
Cheaper now; costlier later.
Cheaper now; costlier later. Most of my clients are very cost-conscious, understandably. After all, who […]
The unified shopping cart: Dreams vs. reality
The unified shopping cart: Dreams vs. reality One of the more common requests I hear […]
Don’t forget to celebrate!
Don’t forget to celebrate! Truth be told, I’m not a big celebrator. (Maybe it’s because […]
Three thoughts on duplicate records
Three thoughts on duplicate records Duplicate records are a reality in any database of any size, […]
Please don’t do this…
Please don’t do this… I’ve noticed a trend among online retailers that I want to […]
AI is perpetually patient
AI is perpetually patient My friend and colleague Noel Shatananda of fusionSpan was providing me some […]
User adoption is (almost) all that matters…
User adoption is (almost) all that matters… I was speaking with an association recently about their […]
When “overcommunicating” becomes overwhelming
When “overcommunicating” becomes overwhelming There is a common belief in project management and general business management that overcommunicating […]
Communicating when there is a major technology change
Communicating when there is a major technology change For those of you who are ASAE […]
Everything works, until it doesn’t.
Everything works, until it doesn’t. “If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.” – […]
