I’m at a conference in Austin right now, and I’m super stoked about being able to be part of it. Why am I stoked? Well, the idea behind this particular conference is really cool. It’s a conference for young professionals, put together by young professionals. The name of the conference? You’re going to love this: Get Stuff Done.
Get. Stuff. Done. It’s simple, but that’s part of why I love the emphasis of the conference. I love that these Texas 12 decided it was important to them to get stuff done. You see, it’s easy for folks–me, you, cubicle-and-office-dwellers-everywhere–to talk a good game. Young professionals–and heck, professionals of any age–are good at saying stuff. We’re so inundated with information, and we have such unfettered access to ideas from so many super talented people, that we know what to say and when to say it. I suppose it’s kind of like growing up in church. After a while, you learn the lay of the land, right? You learn the lingo.
Thing is, if all we ever do is talk, and if all we ever do is say the same stuff over and over and over again; then we’re wasting everyone’s time, ours included. People (myself included) and organizations are guilty of this more often than we’d like to admit. We nod and smile and say the right things, but we don’t really invest the emotional energy into leading. We don’t get stuff done.
We don’t push ourselves to be creative. We don’t put pressure on ourselves to initiate things that matter. We’re afraid of causing a ruckus when we should really be trying to make one. Sometimes we just need to fight our fear and muster the guts to get stuff done.
I’m looking forward to the next two days at Get Stuff Done. I’m excited and humbled to be around people who are this passionate not just about talking, but about doing.
Get. Stuff. Done.
Matt,
Great thoughts and comments. One thing we can all do to help us “Get. Stuff. Done.” is have someone hold us accountable. Accountability is a word we sometimes run from. However, we all need mentors and coaches that won’t just cheer us on, but will also kick us in the behind when we aren’t getting stuff done. We should be a part of mastermind groups and have coaches in our lives. So let’s get stuff done–by holding each other accountable.
Mark
Absolutely. This is one of things that irks me a bit. I’ve noticed it in our particular arena, but we’re certainly not alone. We pay a lot of lip service to “developing our future leaders,” but so few are actually proactive in either seeking mentors or being one for others. And really we should do both.