Inaction – The Mother of All F*ckups

I was speaking with a friend the other day about overreaching. My position is that overreaching is oxymoronic and just can’t be done. If you don’t set a goal, articulate it, plan it, and strive to achieve it you never will. There are several ways to say it; it is better to ask forgiveness than permission or just do it (fac in Latin) but however you choose to express it, embrace it. More often than not you regret not going on that vacation, going skydiving, or (fill in your dream) rather than doing it.

In business reaching for that brass ring is always right, keeping quiet and standing safely on the platform will never get you there; and while throwing caution to the wind and leaping from the platform toward that ring may wind up with you doing a face plant you may just grasp it and, if not, you’ll have a good story, better understanding and less fear when you climb atop the platform and try again. There are practical realities, like expecting to be CEO straight out of college is both unrealistic and reckless; there are very few who wouldn’t do a much better job with some experience and polishing first. However, setting the goal and making every decision to achieve that end is essential to success.

Taking action is always better than not; most often it is far worse to not act than to act. Thinking about it, this makes sense; by taking action you’ve begun the process and devoted some amount of attention to the situation so even if you’re going in the wrong direction the real-time information allows you to adapt much quicker than standing on the sidelines. Plus, I for one admire someone running into a brick wall full speed than at a slow jog. Right or wrong the initiative, determination, conviction and experience of the action is better than plodding along. Let’s all embrace our inner Stretch Armstrong and with lofty ambitions and outstretched fingers plan, execute, and grasp that brass ring. Don’t worry about overreaching as long as you do it considered, with purpose, and respectfully it can’t be wrong.

Tagged as: HunchEnomics, Leadership/Management