Take Action — A Menta-Morphosis Competency

This is the ultimate reason for the entire Menta-Morphosis® process.  If we don’t act differently, then the thinking process which led to our action has been a waste of time and energy. Sooner or later, we must do what we said we would do.

As a trainer, for much of my 35 plus years of practice, I’ve been challenged to bridge the gap between idea and action.   This has been at the heart of my practice. The gap between idea and action is based on this observation: Lots of people mean well, as they leave seminars and webinars determined to do something differently.  But a few weeks later, few actually do.  There is a gap between the idea to do something and the actual action it takes to accomplish that thing.  Ergo the gap between idea and action.

The principles and processes in Menta-Morphosis have come, at least partially, out of that pursuit of bridging the gap. As with every Menta-Morphosis® competency, we can bridge the gap better.

There are two fundamental types of actions: Repetitive, and Sequential.

Repetitive actions are relatively simple behaviors that are repeated in order to form new habits and competencies.  For example, a salesperson who decides “to prepare and ask three better questions in every important sales call” is trying to develop the habit of asking better questions. He/she must do it repetitively in order for it to become a habit.  After a certain number of repetitions, it will become second nature, and he/she doesn’t have to think about it anymore. Time to go onto the next thing.

Sequential actions are steps to the completion of a bigger project.  So, for example, a businessperson decides to” Open a new branch in Saginaw.”  So, his action plan contains, among others, these sequential items:

“Find a suitable location.”

“Negotiate the best terms for rent.”

“Hire a branch manager.”

Each item can be isolated, completed, reviewed and modified on its own.

Many initiatives are combinations of both repetitive and sequential actions.  For example, in our Kahle Way® Selling System, we teach salespeople to use a monthly planner. The document calls for repetitive actions – number of calls to prospects, for example – as well as sequential actions – those things you need to do to more fully penetrate a key account.

To complete every Menta-Morphosis thinking project — to change behavior, either individually or corporately

The beginning of every Action is the Precise Prescription from the earlier step. The more precisely we have worded the prescription, the easier it is to execute and to implement that action.

The output is changed and more positive behavior.

This is just a simple matter of asking ourselves after we have written the prescription, “What do I need to have or arrange for in order to act?” then answering that question and making the necessary arrangements.

Let’s use our two examples:

First, the salesperson committing to “Preparing and asking three better questions in every important sales call.”  In this case, it’s a pretty simple answer.  He/she needs the time to prepare.  So, he decided to take 10 minutes before every important sales call and use that time to create the questions he wants to ask.

He/she realizes that the questions are a means of attaining the objective, so he ought to have an objective for every important sales call. These two answers lead him to create a simple form:

Equipped with the form, and the commitment to spend ten minutes before every sales call, he is ready to act.

Second, let’s consider our businessperson deciding to create a new branch in Saginaw. Since his is a multiple set of steps, he decides to focus on the first one or two and ask the same question: “What do I need to have or arrange for in order to act?”

Action        Person      Deadline

1. Create a 3- year proforma_______________________   _______Me           July 1

2.  Use the pro-forma to develop a budget for rent                Me       July 15

What do I need to have or arrange for in order to act?

1. I’ll need to spend time with John, our CFO, to understand costs and accounts.

2. I’ll need to do some research on building costs in Saginaw.

3. Meet with Mary, our IT person, and have her show me how to use a spreadsheet to create the pro-forma.

These ‘preparations’ then become tasks and are entered on his weekly task list. Notice that we asked the right questions and wrote down the answers – that’s our simple definition of good thinking.  The answers to those questions then got transferred to our weekly task lists.

By treating the ‘preparation to act” as a separate issue, we create momentum and make it easier to complete the action step in our initiative.  We’ve taken a major step to bridge the gap between ideas and action.

Use the “Habit builder form” (see the attachment) for repetitive actions, and Sequential Action plan for Sequential Initiatives. Keeping track of our progress keeps the action top of mind. If we set aside a moment or two every day to record our progress, we will have taken another step to bridge the gap between idea and action.

And we’ll find it more effective to complete the next competency: Reflecting & Refining.

So, this competency begins with a Precise Prescription and ends with a written plan and a means of recording your progress.