David Rohlander is a professional speaker and executive business coach whose book, The CEO Code, gives expert advice on building a great company by mastering Communication, Execution and Operations. In this article, he shares exclusive information from his book on executing action to build your business.
Every business needs a good plan but, more importantly, every business needs good action. The Cycle of Success, as depicted in this graphic, is a map for starting with action and using that to break through every other roadblock on the path toward your goal.
The Cycle of Success
- 1. Action: The second you are clear on your goal, it is important to start taking concrete, active steps to reach that goal. Start with where you’re at and get moving, even if it’s in a seemingly small way at first. Make a phone call, research potential investors, send an email, draft a sales pitch or attend a networking event. Whatever it is, make sure you’re doing it and not just planning on doing it.
- 2. Repetition: After you perform an action, perform it again. Then perform another one. Get some feedback from trusted individuals. In fact, get lots of feedback. You want to perfect your actions so that, as you practice taking action, you are practicing a perfect action. Since there is a direct correlation between your actions and your goals, the stronger your actions, the better the end result.
- 3. Habits: Your actions, eventually, become your habits. Habits can be instrumental in helping you reach your goals or they can be disastrous. The key is selecting actions that match your goals and repeating them until they become habits. If you are training to run a marathon and you are waking up every morning to run several miles, you are creating an action that, through repetition, will become a habit that will propel you toward your goal. However, if you are training for a marathon and you start smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, you are creating a habit that takes you away from your goal.
- 4. Attitudes: Your habits affect your attitudes. Your attitude is one thing only you can control. You have no control over someone else’s attitude and nobody else has control over your attitude. Part of success is taking responsibility for your attitude and only developing positive habits that will result in a positive attitude. This starts with action.
- 5. Feelings: And, of course, your attitude affects your feelings, which affect the next goal you set and the cycle continues.
Breaking the Cycle
The reason so many people fail to reach their goals is that they approach the Cycle of Success in the opposite way. Instead of starting with action, they start with their feelings. Unfortunately, when we are just starting out, are feelings are not conducive to reaching a goal. We are tired, scared, uncertain, unmotivated and overwhelmed. These types of feelings make for heavy baggage on our journey toward our goals.
Successful execution of your plan requires you to start with action. It’s all about the “doing.” Everything else will fall into place.