Actions vs. Words

“What you do has a far greater impact than what you say.” – Stephen Covey

Actions speak louder than words… we’ve all heard it before. As a boy, my mother drilled it into my head. She consistently charged me to be a man of my word, the kind of man who, if he said he was going to do something, would do it.

That lesson stuck with me and has played a vital role in my professional development. I’ve come to find that, while words hold some value, it’s action that wins people over.

This was demonstrated to me when I started my Heroes for Heroes mentor program, a project to give inner-city youth an opportunity to learn leadership and initiative from local entrepreneurs.

When I first spoke of all the great things we were planning to do, many of the children liked the concept but were not fully sold on it. But when we started actually doing these programs, my words became action. The level of interest and engagement went up significantly and many of the participants became fully committed.

As leaders, it is vital that we do what we say we’re going to do in order to build trust and quality relationships.

On the flipside, how many times has someone painted you this beautiful picture of what they say they are going to do and, to much avail, nothing happens? How did that make you feel? Did this person’s word not hold as much value as it did before?

“A goal without action is just a dream.” – Anonymous

Don’t just dream about what you’re going to do, make it a reality.

Always remember, Leadership is a Lifestyle.

– Ron Taylor
Student Programs and Development Specialist, NASBA Center for the Public Trust