Take Action Toward Changes You Want
Action is an everyday practice. Sometimes fear, anxiety, or overwhelm keeps leaders stuck in a loop of overanalyzing their organization’s problems when equity commitments require action.
My work always starts with joy. I believe in grabbing hold of the small joys life offers. Always.
Did you know that research says that most people abandon New Year’s resolutions by February? That makes sense to me because resolutions give me anxiety. They create an internal pressure to perform. Who needs that pressure when the world feels like a hot mess already?
Instead, every year I choose a word that speaks to me about where I am in my journey in work and in life. In some ways, the word becomes a guiding theme.
I’ve finally landed on a word for the year — action. For me, the start of a new year usually brings a certain frenzied activity and planning. I think about all the work I want to do and people that I want to work with. Not so much this year. I started this year in a quiet, reflective space, more like a combinatio of grief and grappling.
That’s when it came to me, “action”.
Action is not just a word on a graphic but is becoming an everyday practice.
The Power of Small Steps
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been taking small, consistent steps toward changes I'd like to see in my life and business. So far, so good.
Leaders, so many things can hold us back from things we know we should be doing. Sometimes fear, anxiety, or overwhelm keeps us stuck in a loop overanalyzing our own problems. Equity commitments require action. Especially now.
Do you know what breaks through this paralysis? Action. Even one seemingly small step can propel you forward in meaningful ways. Why? Because action begets action.
So, here we are, approaching March, which means you have a new opportunity to take action on something you want (or need) to do. Where can you take small steps in an area of your work to bring about a much needed change?
Not sure where to start? Here are a couple of examples.
I just finished an engagement where my clients wanted their staff to be better facilitators to make their meetings more productive. We used data to figure out where staff needed more support, and I put together a mix of tools, products and training to meet those needs.
Another client wanted to update their policy manual to address overdue changes that had been left sitting for years. It took me 2 weeks to complete a review that had plagued the ED for years.
Don’t sit in your struggle. Sometimes that initial action is the spark to get you moving toward your bigger organizational goals.
For more…
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