Marina, a product leader I have known for many years, recently told me that this quote had been sticking with her:
“Without action, the world would still be an idea”
— Georges F. Doriot, INSEAD Founder
Action speaks louder than words.
As a musician and arts lover, my next thought was of Eliza Doolittle singing “Show Me” in My Fair Lady.
Words! Words! Words!
I'm so sick of words!
I get words all day through;
First from him, now from you!
Is that all you blighters can do?
Words vs. Action
Although I'm firmly in the camp of “words matter,” I've always loved the song “Show Me” because it's about the moment when it's time to stop talking the talk and start walking the walk.
Lerner and Lowe knew a thing or two about words and dialogue, but without characters and action, their musicals wouldn't stand the test of time.
In the musical, Eliza Doolittle was transformed from a girl selling flowers in the streets of London to a refined and beautifully spoken lady. In the “Show Me” scene, she tells her suitor, Freddy Eynsford-Hill, to shut up and kiss her.
Sing me no song! Read me no rhyme! Don't waste my time, Show me!
Taking the next step
We've all been there — in our personal lives and in our work. We talk and talk and meet and talk some more about our plans, but analysis paralysis is a trap, and at some point, we must stop the insanity and make a move — even a small move to test the waters.
Psychologists refer to this cycle of negative overthinking as rumination. And it's a common blind spot for companies trying to transform.
Balancing Planning and Action for Business Success
In transformations, there's a sweet spot between “Have we thought this through enough?” and “ok, enough talk! Let's do this.” It's not always easy to detect that ideal moment, but my very favorite thing is when a client has done the work and, with a sigh one morning asks, “Can we just ‘go' now?”
Yes. Yes we can.
So how do we know when we're done thinking and talking and planning and sharing and need to take some kind of action?
In a data-driven culture, this usually means making sure you are doing Product Discovery and experimentation.
Discovery is going deeper into customer problems, and experimentation is testing hypotheses about what might solve those problems.
Taking risks is essential for achieving business goals. So as Eliza sings, “Don't wait until wrinkles and lines/ Pop out all over my brow/Show me now!”
I'd love to know how you recognize that moment in your own work. How much do you need to know to take action? When are you ready to make a move? Please share in the comments.
Maura Charles is the founder of Keep it Human. As a Product Leadership Coach and Consultant, she is on a mission to help teams and organizations embrace human skills like communication and emotional intelligence in their ways of working.
She brings 25 years of experience as an editor, product manager, and digital business leader to bear on the challenges of building human-centered high-performing tech teams.
If you'd like to develop more human business and tech teams that hum together to drive results, check out Keep it Human and follow Maura Charles on LinkedIn.