They move to where they are walking the walk, not just talking the talk.
“Growth seeking people don’t drift to culture rich environments on accident.
People talk. They know what’s going on and what you’re about. You’re not fooling anybody in 2023.
You can talk all the talk, but if you’re not proving you’re walking it..
They’ll walk to where they are.”
-Ray Zingler on Twitter
Around this time of year there is always a lot of talk about culture.
People talk about big ideas, plans, actions they will take, and how they will make their situation better.
This goes on across the landscape ranging from high school athletics to high level business.
While obviously I believe words and planning to be very important, far more important than good intentions are action and execution.
Especially the execution part.
You can run in circles all days long and get really tired, but does that translate to effectiveness?
I often think about key differentiators between the average, good, and great.
What are the key differences between success and failure?
Obviously, location, resources, talent, skill, and etc. have a lot to do with it, but what I really believe it boils down to is the CONSISTENCY of Leadership.
Because again, everybody has good intentions, everybody wants to win a state championship, everybody wants to move to the next income bracket, and hell those people are even willing to work towards it (initially).
But then at the end of the “season” we’re left with a bunch of well-intentioned average folks and very few great ones.
And guess what.
Growth seeking people who are in non-growth inducing environments notice it.
They notice the packets you send out at the beginning of each year. They notice the motivational catch phrases on the white board. They hear the speeches about how this year we’ll be different.
But people SEE the W/L column and 3-7 doesn’t look too great regardless of how you chop it up.
So what happens?
These people seeking growth know that because YOU (leader) haven’t executed on your words, they are meaningless. That can hurt your feelings, but it doesn’t make it less true. It’s just talk.
So of course they move down the road to “that school”.
Of course they are going to gravitate towards “that business” where they feel more empowered.
The rich get richer isn’t just a catch phrase. It’s a fundamental truth because just as mediocrity attracts mediocrity, rich attracts rich, and I’m not talking about a specific number of dollars.
I’m talking about people looking to run with the best of the best.
Less talk.
More execution.
