Leaders (and so many other people) consider themselves thought leaders. They overthink an idea, talk about how things should be, criticize those in action, and offer skepticisms as sage advice about change.
This includes taking safe actions such as creating a petition – that rarely produces positive results. Or feeding your fears by attending networking meetings but won’t meet 1:1 with others. Or talking about system changes without understanding the true issues.
Real action is required to produce intended results.
Being an action leader who produces the intended results requires getting out of your own way. (Note: Anyone and everyone can be an action leader … it’s not based on job title, paycheck, or other subjective factors. It’s based on your willingness to be a leader who takes actions.)
What do we allow to get in the way?
- Overthinking
- Procrastination
- Fear of making mistakes and lack of forgiveness for past mistakes
- Emotional attachments to the past
- Inability to see the impact of the change
- Inconsistent actions that don’t align with the goal
- Relying on self-talk for the answer
What are the costs to you and your legacy?
- Top talent – they want to work for an action leader (not talker)
- Retention – constant change due to shiny object syndrome (inconsistent thinking)
- Revenues – not crunching true numbers for cost v. benefit
- Results – activity without focused actions
- Customers – no credibility
- Trusting yourself – self-respect, self-esteem, and self-confidence is lost
Two examples where future action leaders failed to take the right steps forward …
First Example: A woman wanted to be the team leader, a top spot on a coveted project. But the boss insisted he needed someone with different credentials. So, the woman talked with many people to get agreement that she was the right person. The problem? The woman failed to take the actions required to transform her blind spots required to be a potential team leader for the project (e.g., hire an executive coach, use a qualified job-fit assessment, and do the real work).
Second example: A man had the potential of becoming a professional speaker. After speaking twice in front of small groups, he decided he was bored (they were bored too). He told everyone that he wanted something more. The problem? Unless or until you actually do the work of speaking in front of groups numerous times (small, large, paid, and unpaid), and learning from your successes and failures, you will not achieve your intended result. Hint: It’s the speaker’s job to engage the audience … this can be learned and developed through training and coaching. Also, this is true when learning to lead projects, handle customer issues, or have tough conversations with employees and co-workers.
Action Steps for Action Leaders
- Clarify goal and intention.
- Write down your thoughts!
- Reduce wordiness (10 words or less).
- What is the intention of the goal? (The Why)
- Create a game plan (draft).
- Hire a coach. Make sure the coach is the right one. Do they have the experience and proven results? Can they move you forward when you become stuck due to fear or external factors.
- Talk with others about the goal and listen. Having conversations with yourself is useless and will severely damage your ability to achieve intended results.
- Include and value others’ ideas
- Acknowledge self-doubt and hear others’ concerns
- Focus on creating win-win-win outcomes
- Flexibility is required about how to achieve your goal and intention
- Listen with an open mind and ask open ended questions
- Build a team. DIY is old school. Big results require a full robust team. Which means … listening to their input. Brainstorming. Learning excellent facilitation skills. Ensuring the goal and intention are shared at the beginning of each (Yes, people will forget, make it more complicated, or create their own version.) Now, finalize the game plan and go for it!
- Manage for results, not personalities. Remember, you and your team will zig and zag since there is never a straight line to the intended result. You are accountable and responsible for moving people forward and keeping people unstuck. (For further insight, read: “How to Work with an Incompetent Boss)
- Celebrate and appreciate. Yes, each and every small and larger victory. Update your brags!
©Jeannette Seibly 2026 All Rights Reserved
Jeannette Seibly is a Leadership Results Coach, Talent Advisor, and Business Author with 33 years of experience activating greatness in leaders and companies. She delivers practical coaching and solutions that elevate performance today, build legacies that stand the test of time, and support people in empowering themselves to lead with clarity and impact.
Being an action leader isn’t hard … but does require taking specific actions and not just talking about it. Contact me for a confidential conversation to ensure you’re moving forward.