Action must follow the decision

Action must follow the decision

When I work with my clients on their projects (whether system selection, system implementation, or other data management projects), I emphasize to them how important decision-making is. We can't move if we don't make choices, and if we don't move, we can't make progress/improve things.

But the key to any decision actually comes after the decision is made. That is, it's not just the decision that matters, but the action that is taken after the decision is made. It's the execution of the decision, not just the decision itself.

Too often I see my clients "making decisions" about how to proceed on a particular issue, but then not taking action on that decision.

So what is the key to moving from deciding to doing? Identifying the next step(s) that have to occur after the decision is made.

For example, suppose you decide you want to "clean up" the data in your system. What's the next step? I'd suggest that the next steps are identifying what data points you want to clean up, how you'll go about cleaning that data, and how you'll measure what "clean" looks like. Of course, there are a lot more steps than these, but you can see how making a decision to clean your data is not the same as actually cleaning it up!

Deciding is important. But it's also easy. Taking action is the hard part. Doing the hard work is what will you bring you success.

Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives

It’s hard to get UNangry

December 14, 2022

It’s hard to get UNangry I often emphasize to my clients the importance of testing …

It’s hard to get UNangry Read More »

Some history IS important!

December 7, 2022

Some history IS important! When I’m advising clients on data conversion (moving data from one …

Some history IS important! Read More »

“Many mickles make a muckle.”

November 30, 2022

“Many mickles make a muckle.” “Many mickles make a muckle.” – George Washington Apparently, this …

“Many mickles make a muckle.” Read More »

It’s easy to collect; it’s harder to manage

November 16, 2022

It’s easy to collect; it’s harder to manage The beauty of today’s highly configurable AMS …

It’s easy to collect; it’s harder to manage Read More »

Tell them why you want the data

November 9, 2022

Tell them why you want the data Because data is so easy to collect these …

Tell them why you want the data Read More »

Don’t get hung up on something minor

November 2, 2022

Don’t get hung up on something minor I’m a problem solver. I love to solve …

Don’t get hung up on something minor Read More »

Be flexible, especially for unusual requests

October 26, 2022

Be flexible, especially for unusual requests One of the great benefits of off-the-shelf association management software (AMS) …

Be flexible, especially for unusual requests Read More »

“Her eyes were bigger than her stomach.”

October 19, 2022

“Her eyes were bigger than her stomach.” When I was a child, my siblings used …

“Her eyes were bigger than her stomach.” Read More »

Once you buy crap…

October 12, 2022

Once you buy crap… “When you buy something cheap and bad, the best you’re going …

Once you buy crap… Read More »

It could always be worse

October 5, 2022

It could always be worse Because most of us don’t have the benefit (like I …

It could always be worse Read More »

Scroll to Top