Create Business Growth By Eliminating Performative Action

Forbes

03-04-2025

The more you act on things that create momentum, the more feedback you get. That feedback, even when it stings, is your unfair advantage.
There's a beautiful quote by Ben Franklin that goes, 'Well done is better than well said.' Ben knew what he was talking about. He also invented bifocals and the lightning rod. You know what he didn't do? Sit on a plane watching a movie while the world passed him by.
Years ago, after years of trying to recruit him, I hired a sharp executive from the insurance world. This was a smart guy who should have been a doctor but didn't choose that path, definitely someone I wanted on my team. So we hop on a plane to head to a big meeting, and 30 minutes in, I glance over to see him watching a movie. On a Tuesday afternoon. At 40,000 feet. You'd think he just found out they made Titanic 2: Jack's Back or something.
Now, I didn't lose my cool (outwardly), but inside I was burning. What does he think we are doing here? This wasn't vacation. This wasn't the red-eye to Vegas after a product launch. This was Tuesday. A workday. How does travel not stress him out as much as it does me? I'm not stressed because of mass transit and flight delays, but because it is inefficient. If I am traveling, I can't always work on the things that I need to in order to grow the company. On that flight, we were at work. And I couldn't reconcile wasting that time—company time—on anything other than, well, work.
It's not about being a workaholic. It's about understanding that leadership, and entrepreneurship in particular, is a constant balancing act between time, productivity, and cost. That's the triangle. And if one side is way out of proportion—like racking up airline points while catching up on Top Gun: Maverick—you're failing to create momentum on what's important.
I've seen it all, and I bet you have too; high-paid execs scrolling through social media in their modern business casual attire. Wrinkle-free five-pocket workout pants. Lace-up low-cut kicks. Moisture-wicking fabric polo with an exclusive golf course billboard on the left chest. Quarter zip sweater ready to roll. Or even worse, employees bouncing between low-priority 'busy tasks' like they're trying to win a medal in hamster-wheel Olympics, and meetings that feel more like group therapy than strategic sessions. They're moving, sure. But they're not going anywhere.
Here's the hard truth: Motion is not the same as progress. You can look busy, act busy, even talk busy—but unless you're taking meaningful action, it doesn't matter.
That's the problem with 'acting like acting.' It's all show, no substance. And in business, that's a recipe for stalled growth, missed goals, and erosion of trust within your team.
Real productivity means getting real results. It means building momentum that leads to the next step, the next breakthrough, the next deal. That doesn't mean being perfect. It means being proactive.
Let's go back to the very early days of our company when our marketing strategy was… well, let's call it "reactive." Need revenue? Then we need leads. Send an email blast. Want visibility? Throw out a press release. Was there a master plan? Not exactly. But doing something—anything—was still better than doing nothing.
Taking action, even messy action, builds experience. It gives you data to evaluate, processes to refine, and opportunities to seize. You get better simply by doing. You can't steer a parked car—and you certainly can't scale a business from the couch.
The more you act on things that create momentum, the more feedback you get. That feedback, even when it stings, is your unfair advantage. Because while everyone else is waiting for the perfect conditions or the ideal strategy, you're out there testing, failing, learning, and adapting. That's how real businesses grow.
Of course, not all action is created equal. If you're navigating a $200 million acquisition, now is not the time to wing it. When the stakes are that high, we stretch our time side of the triangle. We slow things down, dig in, analyze, and listen—especially to the customer's perspective. Because no matter how exciting the deal is, it has to lead to growth, and that takes revenue. Otherwise, you've just built a very expensive monument to distraction.
Taking action doesn't mean being reckless. It means being intentional. It means knowing when to move fast and when to be deliberate. But it always means moving.
One of the greatest byproducts of a culture of action is the ripple effect it creates. Your team watches what you do more than they listen to what you say. If they see you prioritizing meaningful, results-driven action—even when it's inconvenient or hard—they'll follow suit.
On the flip side, if they see you phoning it in, dragging out decisions, or prioritizing comfort over contribution? Don't be surprised when they start doing the same.
Momentum is contagious. So is apathy. We call it 'playing office' when someone is acting like they are acting. We see you. We know what you are really doing.
Taking action makes you better because it keeps you better. It drives productivity, accelerates growth, sharpens decision-making, and strengthens your culture. But most importantly, it builds trust—between you and your customers, your team, your partners, and yourself.
Here's what I've learned over the years: In business, there are very few perfect and obvious decisions. But indecision? That's where businesses go to die.
So stop watching from the sidelines. Close the movie. Put down the phone. Get off the hamster wheel. Take action—even if it's imperfect, even if it's uncomfortable, even if it's just the next small step.
Because the only thing worse than taking the wrong action is taking no action at all.