I think one of the most powerful things we can do as leaders is to help people understand the disconnect between their intentions and their actions. People will often talk a good game about what they will do or what they intend to do, but it’s much harder to do it–particularly when there is risk of failure involved. Talk is cheap and we have that in abundance. It’s much harder to actually do the hard things that might scare us.
Sometimes, it is important that you be the bucket of cold water that is thrown in someone’s face. My best mentors throughout my career have been those who would tell me the unvarnished truth about where my words didn’t match my actions. It never feels good to hear these truths, but they have always made me better and propelled me forward. Sadly, it has become less and less common for people to tell each other the truth. This doesn’t mean that we should be cruel, but rather be courageous enough to help someone else see that they are creating their own frustration by not doing what needs to be done in order to live up to their own intentions.
Absolutely Jason…spot on.
Bam. Do what you say you will do. Great post, Jason!