We Like Talkers, but Employers Prefer Doers

When I was a kid, we were taught it was better to be seen than heard. These days, it seems like being heard is more important.

We like talkers. The National Speakers Association is comprised of more than 3,000 professional speakers and after-dinner entertainment specialist. Some of these keynote, seminar and motivational speakers, celebrities, best-selling authors and sales trainers earn up to $1,000,000 a year just talking. Parade Magazine (Dec. 7, 2008) reports that ex-president Bill Clinton has earned $52 million in fees since leaving office and George H.W. Bush ears up to $100,000 per speech.

But for the other 305-million of us who don’t earn our living exclusively talking, we need to focus on being better doers. Because employers value people who get the right thing done, now is an excellent time to be a doer.

Ask almost any manager and he or she will tell you they prefer doers over talkers. That is understandable. Ask almost any employee and they will tell you they are a doer and not just a talker. That’s not always confirmed by the evidence.

Here are “Seven Qualities of a Doer.” While the list is not exhaustive it provides food for active thought leading to action.

1. Doers take an active part in making good things happen. They leave nothing to chance. They plan their work and work their plan.
2. Doers make the best use of their time. They know time has a monetary value and invest it wisely.
3. Doers perform the tasks assigned to them. They understand what is required of them. They have specific directions and a goal for achieving them. Henry Ford said, “If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.”
4. Doers execute. They daily do those specific activities that will eventually lead to achievement of their goal. They focus on what is right, not what is wrong. They focus on what they can do; never complain about what they can’t.
5. Doers are dependable. They do what they say they are going to do, and do it when they say they are going to do it. They work just a little harder and know just a little bit more than their competition.
6. Doers are practitioners. They see their job as a career, not just work. They practice their profession. They love what they do and are passionate about their work. As Abraham Maslow, the mid-twentieth century psychologist who established the theory of a hierarchy of needs wrote, “A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately at peace.”
7. Doers are builders. They know their actions combined with the actions of their co-workers will build a better team. Therefore, they make it easy for others to work with them.

While audiences can benefit from professional speakers who have a thorough knowledge of the appropriate topic, many people will return to their daily work routine where they fail to apply the information they received. They will go back to their role of doer, unchanged. The real information transformation occurs when you successfully introduce ideas you hear or read about, into your daily routine.

HOG QUOTE: “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” — Walt Disney

HOG THOUGHT: The 80 / 20 rule works well for doers. Spend 80% of your time doing and 20% talking.

HOG ACTION: Hold yourself accountable for getting the right things done.

Email Wayne Nalls at
wn-tampa@att.net