Action isn’t the same as progress

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

Some context, please

April 21, 2021

Some context, please A pet peeve of mine: A report about associations (e.g., marketing benchmarks report) where […]

Eventually automated emails get ignored

April 14, 2021

Eventually automated emails get ignored During the discovery and development phase of implementing a new […]

The challenge the AMS providers see

April 7, 2021

The challenge the AMS providers see Over the years I’ve asked AMS providers what they […]

Be careful about “solutioning” too quickly

March 31, 2021

Be careful about “solutioning” too quickly One of the great things about software developers is […]

What’s our next action?

March 24, 2021

What’s our next action? As you can imagine, I spend a lot of time in […]

Don’t automate for the sake of automation

March 17, 2021

Don’t automate for the sake of automation I’m the laziest person in the world. I […]

Don’t forget about what got better

March 10, 2021

Don’t forget about what got better Negativity bias is the tendency to focus on only […]

Give a little at a time rather than taking away

March 3, 2021

Give a little at a time rather than taking away I’m sure there’s research somewhere […]

First, you gotta have the data

February 17, 2021

First, you gotta have the data When I work with clients on a new AMS […]

Work on your relationship with your AMS vendor

February 10, 2021

Work on your relationship with your AMS vendor It is no coincidence that my most […]

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top