Steve Blank, Radio Show Host at Sirius XM and co-founder of numerous startups, recently wrote a short post about the difference between motion and action as part of the #SkillsGap series on LinkedIn. Here are some takeaways:
Defining Entrepreneurial Action
Motion versus action. Words that appear to have similar meaning and yet have a different outcome. Blank suggests it’s the difference between cycling toward sealing that partnership versus being stuck on the perpetual stationary bike of “waiting to hear back.”
Interestingly, when googling the definitions of the two words motion doesn’t only mean you’re moving but also that you may be moved by some external force, whereas action is a process that you must own. Defining the difference between motion versus action will enable not only yourself, but your employees to focus on the end-goal.
mo·tion /ˈmōSH(ə)n/
{noun} the action or process of moving or being moved.
ac·tion /ˈakSH(ə)n/
{noun} the fact or process of doing something, typically to achieve an aim.
Noticeably one reader commented on Blank’s post, mentioning that it’s important to document the process as well in order to recreate the results. While this is undoubtedly true for some, I think Blank’s point is that there is a manifest difference in movers vs. shakers and in doers vs. entrepreneurs.
Ingenuity with Purpose
Entrepreneurs have ideas or what you may call ingenuity and they will be tireless in seeing those ideas through to fruition. But not everyone is an entrepreneur at heart. In other words, you may have to take note of that #SkillsGap within your employees and address it quickly to ensure you’re seeing actual progress towards a goal, not simply movement in pursuit of a goal. Define that progress and confirm that your employees understand and have the same objective as yourself. We’re not all entrepreneurs, but that doesn’t mean we can’t train ourselves and our employees to think more like them.
For more information, contact Chris Arndt at [email protected] or call him at 312.494.7014. Visit ORBA.com to learn more about our Cloud CFO Services.
