Step up or leave!
by Donald E. Hester
on Tuesday, 16 December 2008
Leadership
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Donald E. Hester
Husband, father, and adventurer. A computer science instructor who dabbles in t
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While I was recently reading someone else's blog (I wanted to comment but I can't find that post) that had a video about taking action to help people in Africa. One point in the video was you know what to do all you need to do is do it. Just do it, as Nike puts it. I think this is an important leadership trait and great personal value for anyone. The value of taking action, being proactive, having decisiveness or initiative is something I feel I can use more of.
Taking action is important because if you don't take action nothing will get done, no matter how great of an idea you had. It is also important because people watch what you do, not what you say. People will judge you on your actions.
A good friend of mine, who was a US Marine in Vietnam and who had a very intense presence once said "Lead, follow or get out of the way, step up or leave."
The value of taking action has to do with the ability to weigh facts and possible solutions and to make decisions promptly and take action in the absence of compulsion.
You could take action and it could turn out bad for you. However, taking no action will lead to no gain whatsoever. My wife always tells me I won't win the lottery because I don't play the lottery. I guess I need to get in the game if I want to win.
A great quote about this subject is "A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely more than much knowledge that is idle." - Kahlil Gibran
- How would you define taking initiative or action?
- Has the lack of taking action in a situation had a negative impact on you?