I happened to catch a new TV commercial by the Royal Bank of Scotland the other day. It is part of their "Make it Happen" ad campaign; one of the more clever TV ad series I have seen.  A previous ad shows a group of business people on a hike when one falls into quicksand. The leader suggests they form a steering committee to determine what the best course of action was while another wants to do a risk analysis. It humorously demonstrates the fact that to some people discussing and planning what needs doing is more important than just doing it. In this new ad a stranded cablecar is the crisis - how it is handled is way too close to home for some businesses. View Ad Here

According to a recent Harvard Business Review article based on a study of nearly 100 companies. One of the biggest problems is a phenomenon many of us see every day.  They call it the knowing vs. doing. Often it is the result or the inability of company leaders to move off dead center and take action when there’s a problem. Often they found it was the company leaders themselves contributing or even causing the problems.

Walking the Walk - or just Talking the Talk

What causes such lack of inertia?  One common cause is the basic human tendency to substitute talk for action. In the business world, it often takes the form of what these authors call “smart talk” or the ability to sound like you know what’s going on and to use it as a cover-up for no action. People who rely on smart talk often criticize others’ ideas and use trendy, complex language that confuses others.  When people are confused, it’s hard to take any effective action.  As dysfunctional as this sounds, it’s quite consistent with what business school and executive education programs have reinforced for years:  it’s more important to sound smart than to act smart.  And it works.  Research studies have shown that talkers are viewed as more influential and important, and are more likely to emerge as leaders in groups than their quieter colleagues.  In large organizations where executives often must make decisions about hiring, promoting, and delegating based on limited information, it’s hard to tell how accomplished someone actually is.  But it’s fairly easy to tell how smart someone sounds.  According to a number of psychological studies, that’s what interviewers use to decide very early on about job candidates:  how smart or intelligent they seem. 

Symptom two is not focusing on what is really important; and what is important? Satisfying the customer and earning a profit; simply said - getting the job done! Talking about the work, reorganizing the work, doing endless reports on the work is all secondary. If the work isn’t getting done, or isn’t done in an acceptable manner everything else is pointless. It’s not all about ego’s or popularity or personalities or who knows whom. The companies that prosper are also the companies that are known for finding and keeping talented people. They have come to understand that what really gets done is the most important thing. They nurture their workforce talent and give it an environment in which it can excel. At the same time underachievers and counter-productive members are quickly removed.

So how do you get beyond the knowing-doing gap?  Here are six suggestions, from companies whose people not only say smart things but do smart things.

1.  Their leaders know and do the company’s work.  You’ll find them on the front line and in the field, devoting time to doing the work and knowing first-hand how the company operates and what needs to happen.  If they didn’t come up through the ranks, they make it a point to learn the company from the ground floor.  So it’s hard to sneak smart talk or inadequate work habits past them.

2. They run on simple ideas and straight talk.  The leaders of these companies focus on a few simple priorities and straightforward action.  They value common sense and plain talk, and can turn a company around by targeting simple but critical needs like improving customer service or paring down product lines to a few great products.

3. They don’t just ask why; they ask how.   Like their smart talking counterparts, people in these companies still speak out and critique new ideas or plans.  The difference is, they’re expected to suggest ways of fixing the problems as well.  So what if they have three reasons why something won’t work?   The leaders want to hear three ideas about how to MAKE it work.

4. They bring passion into the workplace. These companies are renowned for innovative thinking, positive and quick advancement. Recognition of true substance and performance not promotion for style who had the prettiest reports. Tedious work that seems to accomplish nothing is a productivity killer. Employees know when a task is vital and when it’s not. Continued exposure to “busy-work” will erode even the best workers and eventually drop them into the “knowing - but not doing” category.

5.  They have effective ways to close the knowing-doing gap.  Some companies live on talk, not action.  Others reach the decision to act, but that’s where the process ends.  Companies which close the gap have something else:  ways to make sure that decisions get translated into action.  They have effective follow-up mechanisms.  They hold people accountable for getting things done.  They track progress toward goals.

6. They’ve learned that experience is the best teacher.  These companies put people into action.  They don’t wait until every detail is worked out.  They get people to work and learn on the go.  Look for decisive individuals and reward innovation. As Tom Peters is famous for saying “it’s better to ask forgiveness than permission”.

So if you want to accelerate the growth curve in your organization, take a look at how – or even whether -- your company is set up to translate ideas into action. How many layers of management or bureaucracy exist? How much of the work being done is simply to feed the corporate beast and how much is really impacting the bottom line? Is your workflow simple and smart or are you catering to particular egos’ and biases? None of this is easy to look at or admit and many companies never are able to fulfill what could be a marvelous destiny because of it. Remember - you will be known more for what you do than what you say.