One of my first bosses when I was young was a high-strung guy who was a lot like Kramer in the episode of Seinfeld where he drank too many lattes. He had a knack for walking into the room at the exact right time when I would be idle — perhaps waiting for a piece of equipment to warm up. He would half-jokingly say, “Do something, even if it’s wrong.”
The snarky tone he used would most likely trigger a report to HR today. But, I understood his odd sense of humor. The truth is, he was a good boss who set an example of hard work. Recently, I have been reminded of his comment for different reasons.
I see too many instances of organizations stuck in paralysis by studies, planning, meetings and committees that hinder success instead of contributing to it. Even if the endless meetings and dialogue eventually lead to an action, it is rarely the best one. That’s because the final decision has been watered down to satisfy a little of the input from everyone.
Some of my clients are departments of local, county or state government where excessive excessiveness is standard procedure. Surely, it frustrates them, too. I never understood the opinion that it’s better to loop in more people on the discussion. The goal should be to loop in fewer people, limited to those who truly need to know. It’s not necessary to form a committee to draft a Request for Proposal (RFP), the results of which will be reviewed by a committee that selects a consultant to do a feasibility study that will involve more focus groups. Right now, some people reading this are nodding and saying, “Yeah, so,” while others are thinking, “Enough, just do something.”
Of course, there are times when it is not best to just do anything at all solely for the perception of action. “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt,” is an old saying that has been ascribed to either Abraham Lincoln or Mark Twain. It applies to brands just as it does to people.
It’s better for customers and prospects to not hear from a brand at all rather than have an engagement that is below its usual standards. Send a marketing message with a confusing or conflicting message and you may ruin any chance if creating a customer. Produce a shoddy brochure or packaging and the customer may lose confidence in the brand’s standards for quality.
While I liked my old boss’ sarcasm, it’s time for a new saying: Be a leader who can get things done and resource that helps others be right.
