Action vs. Implementation
How Knowing the Difference Helps You Take Action
Decision-making isn’t a task for the faint of heart. Depending on the size of the decision at hand, it can take weeks, months, years, of thinking, overthinking, rethinking, and unthinking to determine what you want and what to do.
Making a decision may involve asking friends and family to weigh in, leaning into the knowledge of your community, talking to those who’ve gone before you, and let’s be real, countless nights awake staring at the ceiling trying to find an answer.
Once you’ve made a decision to move forward in a given personal or professional direction, then what? Now that you know who you want to be and what you’d like to do and strive for, what next?
How do you actually move out of decision-making and planning and take action? This blog will show you how!
Action vs. Implementation (what’s the difference and why it matters)
Between making a decision and taking action, there’s usually a middle phase that involves planning and mapping out how you’ll implement.
Actions are the specific steps taken to achieve an outcome. It’s a distinct activity or task.
Examples of actions might be: sending an email, applying to a position, refining your resume, hiring a career coach, etc.
Implementation, on the other hand, is the process of putting the action into motion. It’s more like a roadmap, a series of actions that lays out the myriad of actions and tasks one needs to take.
Examples of implementation: Launching a campaign, executing a strategic business plan, and community reach out.
You Need Both Implementation and Action
Lots of small actions don’t require any sort of implementation phase. You put on your shoes and go for a walk. You reply back to an email from your boss, you call your mother, and put something into the oven for dinner.
In order to achieve big goals and objectives, especially something you’ve never done before, or that will be taking place over a length of time, you typically need both!
You need a solid plan in place that breaks down the big picture idea or changes into small, digestible action steps. Considering implementation on its own can be daunting and overwhelming but it’s how you create a plan of the action steps that will get you where you want to go.
Without a plan in place for implementation, many actions are left not taken. Life-changing decisions and ideas go join your unpaired socks behind the dryer.
Choosing to go in a particular direction is a huge step in and of itself. To start gaining momentum on that path, you need to determine how you’ll actually implement and take the actions that will get you the distance.
The outcome may be that you realize you need help to implement, you may discover it’s more work than you have capacity for right now, or you may start to take small daily steps towards your desired outcome.
How Do You Create Your Implementation Plan?
Start with the big picture in mind and reverse-engineer it. You’ll want to break down the end goal into smaller parts and micro-steps and achievable actions. The smaller the steps, the better!
A big goal like publishing a book turns into a series of steps such as:
Start writing for 10 minutes every day or write a certain number of words every day
Put together a manuscript/draft
Find an editor and begin the revision process
Decide between traditional publishing or self-publishing
Design the cover
Etc. etc.
Your implementation plan should include realistic timelines, tangible goals, and checkpoints along the way to measure progress and to see how you’re feeling.
No Action Can Also Be Action
Depending on the decision you’re making, your implementation and action plan might look like movement forward, staying still, or even going back to something familiar. In working a with individuals as a career and executive coach, I’ve seen it all and there’s no wrong way to take action:
You may choose not to make any changes right now and stay where you are
You might go back to school, get more education, take a course or get a certification
You may decide it’s time to move to a different city, state, or neighborhood
You might realize you want to change jobs, careers, or your industry entirely!
Or something else
The good news is, with most decisions, you get to reevaluate, reflect, and pivot along the way!
Your timeline is yours alone, and the implementation plan that's right for you provides you with action steps that take you where you want to go, when you want to be there.
If you’re amidst making a decision, or considering taking an action in a new direction, here’s a mini home assignment for you:
Reflect on the questions I provide you with in this blog and see what pops up for you when you consider “What next?” “Are you happy?” “What else do I want to do with my life?”
Write out an implementation plan that maps out the steps to take to get you to your desired outcome. Look at gaps in which you might require outside help or additional knowledge, expertise, and insight and start looking to bring in the assistance you need.
Share with me what you’re dreaming up so I can cheer you on!
If this feels overwhelming or impossible, you’re not alone! Big changes can be scary and challenging to navigate and you may not even know the steps you need to take to move forward. I’d love to be the trusted guide by your side helping you navigate forward and take action towards your next big dream!
