Cliché alert: Yes, we live in such a noisy (online) world that we often feel the need to litter it with (even more) action. And when we do so, we feel good about it.
A social media account with a post every day just looks GREAT, doesn't it?
An up-to-date task list on Asana is just BEAUTIFUL.
A call log with dozens of calls a day is absolutely PERFECT.
Regular newsletters sent out at the right time are a DREAM.
But is that really what we need?
Action, reaction and proaction.
Whether you (and your team) are managing all the above perfectly or not, I think there's an argument to review all your actions.
Because in all this, there will be some reaction and some proaction. But there'll probably be some noise too.
What do I mean?
Well, when I talk about reaction, I mean things you do in reaction to a trigger, like responding to enquiries, processing bookings or dealing with problems. Yes, you absolutely do need to do these.
When I talk about proaction, I mean things you do to trigger action from others, like sending you an enquiry or a booking. And yes, you also do need to make time for this.
What about noise? – I hear you ask. Well, noise are all your actions which are neither reactive nor proactive. Actions that solve nothing and produce nothing.
You need balance.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that everything you do should either be proactive and reactive, and that there's no space for any action in your working day that produces nothing. After all, there's so much we can't measure – and there's nothing wrong with creating beauty for beauty's sake.
But if it reaches a point when you don't have enough time to do the proactive and reactive stuff, you have a problem.
And I think it's one of these three:
Too much reactive stuff. If you don't have time to be proactive, you need to delegate some of your reactive stuff to others or hire someone. I know it's a million times easier said than done, but this is the reality. If you don't have time to be proactive, you can't grow, and if you can't grow your business, it will disappear.
Too much proactive stuff. If you keep reaching out so much that you can't handle the enquiries, then what's the point in trying to get more business? The good news is that you can always dial down on the proactivity to prioritise the business already coming your way. But you know the caveat: you'll need to staff proactivity too, reasonably soon.
Too much noise. If you keep doing things that are neither reactive nor proactive in the sense that they actually manage to prompt action (whether that's booking or engagement), then all you're doing is making noise. And unless you're in the business of selling protective earmuffs, making noise is not going to help you grow your business.
Homework.
So here's your homework: audit your actions.
No need for a one-week stocktake – but try to get into a habit of looking at your actions at the end of the day and trying to come up with a rough percentage for your reactivity, proactivity and noise making.
And if the balance seems off, start to make some changes to your routine.
Or delegate more.
Let me follow what I preach.
If you need help deciding what to priorities, how to delegate or grow your team, I'm always just a message away.
