Actions Speak Louder Than Words

We've all heard this adage a million times. I've been saying it at home, and at work, a bit over the past few months.

My son is a decent carbon copy of me (poor kid!), and if you know me, I'm generally a man of few words. If I find myself telling you about what I want to accomplish, I've already failed in my mind. I need to be showing you what I've already done.

I lead by my actions. My son tends to do the same. My daughter on the other hand has thrown out the proverbial "I'm trying" a few too many times over the past six months. The result, my inner Yoda comes out and I engage in "there is no try, only do" conversations with her.

Don't talk to me about trying. Don't talk to me about what you want to do. Don't talk to me about what you've accomplished or want to accomplish.

Get it all done and show me. That's obviously a little harsh for a child, but when you're an experienced adult on a high-functioning team, that's table stakes.

I'm way oversimplifying here of course. There is such a thing as empathy, and planning a course of action, and assisting, and sharing experiences in order to come up with a plan of attack to get something done (as an individual, and as a team). Those are all crucial pieces around getting things done, as individuals and as teams. Engagement around speculation and desire is healthy and required in order to succeed.

I'm just sayin' that actions speak louder than words. We are judged by what we did, not what we talked about doing.