Trying Is Planning To Fail

Posted on Jun 17, 2010 | 0 comments

Start taking action (doing) rather than just trying.

Trying arises under two conditions. First, the individual is not confident that his/her skills will allow a particular action to be accomplished. Second, it is an indication that either a system is not in place or the one there is not effective.

For the former, a lack of training could be the culprit or it may be that you simply have the wrong person in a particular role. For the latter, all systems should clearly dictate necessary actions. There is no need and no time for trying. Implementing the clearly outlined actions of a system eliminates the need to try.

“But what about innovation or thinking outside of the box?” you might be shouting to me through your computer screen. Innovation and outside-the-box thinking manifest themselves in the form of a system for implementation. If they do not, than you have nothing more than a thought experiment on your hands.

Changing your systems allows you as the business owner, manager, or leader to test out a possible change to your business systems. Yet the implementation of those systems should come in the form of dedicated focused action. No trying is necessary.

If you work for someone, avoid telling your manager that you will “try” to do something. Just do it. If you manage people, build your systems and position your team so that doing is straightforward and just trying is not. Do not plan to fail by trying. Plan to succeed through doing. Your organization will notice the improvement.