The name of our business is “ACTION COACH”. There is a great reason for that. Nothing happens in life and business until someone takes ACTION. You can have a strong leader with a common goal and great, clearly defined rules, but with no action, nothing happens.

Procrastination is the enemy of all progress and learning, and it is rooted in fear. Fear is a paralysing emotion or expectation about negative outcomes. The antidote and cure for fear is action. For the action to be most effective, it should be preceded by some organised thought and planning. Very simply stated, a great action plan has three components - WHO does WHAT by WHEN. That is it. If you are clear on the goal and the rules, then organise your plan into logical steps, and delegate each step to the right team member. Assign an accountability and deadline, and you are ready to go.

Many meetings are de-energising because they don’t end with an action plan. Talk and analysis with no action is really non-productive, because you really learn nothing until action is taken and you produce a result and a response.

The focused purpose of all learning and discussion is action, and the Action Plan is the tool to create that outcome. So here is what I challenge you to DO next time you are in a team meeting. Near the close of the meeting, take out a piece of paper with three columns - Who, What, When, and complete your action plan for all present. Be specific on WHAT actions will be taken, and put in a deadline and an accountability for each item. It really sounds simple, but it is a profound way to get your team moving.

We would welcome your comments on how you plan for ACTION in your business. Remember there is a potential grant of £1000 towards your leadership development - “who do you need to be” to be an even better leader?