I work with business owners all over the world. And one of the common denominators, even among the most successful ones, is their inability to make a hard decision. I have found this to be true regardless of where they live, their culture, or the industry that their business is in.

 

Some people have a hard time making a difficult decision, and even when they do, they don’t take action on it. They procrastinate or go into analysis paralysis.

 

Why?

 

Do you know of a great idea that will make you and your organization better?

Have you been meaning to implement it, but just haven’t taken action on it . . . yet?

 

If this sounds like you, what are you waiting for? It seems to me, the greatest tragedy in life is that most people spend their entire lives indefinitely preparing to live.

 

Planning has value where new ideas are concerned. But planning only has value to a point.

When ‘analysis paralysis’ becomes an excuse for lack of courage to implement, it will eventually kill your big ideas and your worthwhile endeavors.

 

If this becomes your regular practice, you and your organization will likely fail, or at a minimum, not reach your full potential. If you can see that an idea may improve your organization, it’s worth your time to implement it as soon as possible. Time can be your enemy. Taking your time to implement a big idea can allow a competitor to beat you to the punch. And as often is the case, there is a big advantage to being the first to take action.

 

If you spend more time thinking or talking about a great idea than taking steps to make it a reality, you’re a poster child for analysis paralysis. But you don’t have to stay that way, here are my five actionable steps to ensure your company’s profitable ideas don’t die on the vine.

1. WRITE IT DOWN, LEST WE FORGET.

Your ideas need to be written down immediately, or they’ll disappear on you. Forever. Most ideas are lost if they’re not written down within ten seconds. So create a “Remember List.” After all, great ideas have a short shelf life.

 

As with any important task, when you take the time to write it down, you decrease the possibility of forgetting it. Make sure that you describe the idea well enough to capture its essence, so as you move forward; you don’t need to re-invent it.

“The faintest ink is better than the best memory.”

2. INVOLVE OTHERS TO GENERATE MOMENTUM.

 

Having competent colleagues to confirm the value of an idea often provides the added incentive that’s needed to move it forward.

Encouragement is one of the most powerful motivators of action.

 

And in the process of sharing an idea, you may discover a new one, a better one, or a more innovative one than the original.

SET A DEADLINE AND STICK TO IT.

 

Woody Allen once quipped that 80 percent of success is showing up. Once you’ve determined that an idea is valuable, set a deadline to implement it, as well as a deadline for taking the first step towards completion.

 

This will encourage further action and provides accountability within the organization.

DON’T WAIT FOR THE PERFECT MOMENT TO BEGIN.

 

Please don’t do what I often hear, “I will start that business or new offering when everything is right or falls into place.

 

Don’t wait until everything is “perfect” to begin implementing a great idea.

That time will never come, and you’ll be stuck waiting forever.

 

Instead, throw out those preconceived notions of what can or cannot be done, take a risk, and determine to set a new precedent in your actions.

JUST DO IT.

It’s easier to act your way into thinking than to think your way into acting.

 

The more time you spend acting on great ideas, the sooner you’ll increase your organization’s potential for success.

 

Great ideas need landing gear as well as wings. If you wait for the perfect moment when all is safe and assured, it may never arrive. Mountains will not be climbed, races won, or lasting happiness achieved.

 

You have to act on your ideas before they get stale and expire. Benjamin Franklin said, “To succeed, jump as quickly at opportunities as you do at conclusions.”

 

Commit today to begin jumping at your great ideas, rather than analyzing them to death, because the greatest brainstorm in the world is worthless if you don’t take action on it.

Now, with that said, I’ll give you one final point to think about; when in doubt, don’t.

 

If something in your gut tells you the time or circumstances are not right, then don’t decide to move forward.

 

Don’t just make a decision or take action because you feel you need to.

 

I know this seems quite the opposite of the instruction given above, but trust your intuition with one caveat. You are not confusing intuition with fear of failure.

“Make good decisions every day, and at the end of your life, you will have a lifetime of good decisions made.” – Jeff Earlywine