As we write this, we’re already at the end of the first month of 2025; sometimes it feels like January is 100 days long but now, suddenly, we’re about to cross over into a new month. And with that, it’s an excellent time to review your plans to thrive in 2025, and consider where you are one month in.
Let’s dive into the leadership principle, bias for action.
Bias for action means moving forward decisively rather than waiting indefinitely for everything to be perfect. It’s a mindset that values quick experimentation, learning from small setbacks, and keeping momentum high. At Actus, we’ve seen how this approach can rapidly accelerate business growth by instilling confidence, accountability, and a willingness to pivot when surprises arise.
As emphasised in this very blog on strategic thinking and leadership, having a bias for action:
• Improves team morale. When people feel empowered to move swiftly, they’re often more engaged and energised.
• Sparks innovation. Rapid experimentation, where small failures lead to bigger learnings, fuels fresh ideas.
• Streamlines decision-making. Focused deadlines and clear objectives ward off drawn-out discussions that slow you down.
Below are some practical steps for embedding a bias for action in your organisation:
1. Enforce Brief Decision Windows
Instead of allowing choices to linger, set short deadlines. If you spot a potential new service line, commit to drafting an outline within a few days. This sense of urgency ensures people stay on task and eliminates unnecessary red tape.
2. Run Quick Pilots
Launch a small test for any new product, service, or internal process. Gather real-world feedback, then refine before a bigger roll-out. This lesson is part of the agile mindset we explore in our blogs: smaller tests mean less risk and faster progress.
3. Empower Cross-Functional Teams
Encourage staff from different areas to collaborate and act decisively without lengthy sign-off chains. We’ve showcased in our leadership series how diverse viewpoints spark resourceful problem-solving—a process supercharged by nimble decision-making.
4. Normalise Fast Failures
At Actus, we talk about how failure isn’t the real setback—indecision is. Mistakes can be powerful learning tools if you act swiftly, reflect, and move on with new insights. Leaders who tolerate fast failures show that experimentation is valued over static conservatism.
5. Celebrate Action Takers
Shout out the teams or individuals who make swift progress. Recognising employees for rolling up their sleeves and diving in fosters a culture that values and rewards decisiveness.
Developing this culture aligns with the findings of Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert I. Sutton, who highlight in their book “The Knowing-Doing Gap: How Smart Companies Turn Knowledge into Action” that many organisations have great ideas but struggle to put them into practice. By establishing a bias for action, businesses overcome that gap, turning well-crafted strategies into tangible results.
A 2021 McKinsey survey revealed that 70% of respondents see organisational agility as critical to long-term performance. Likewise, Amazon’s famously embraces “Bias for Action,” encouraging employees to take informed risks. Both cases underscore why it’s essential to act swiftly in a fast-paced environment where opportunities can vanish as quickly as they appear.
At Actus, we’re dedicated to helping businesses translate knowledge into decisive action. Through leadership workshops, strategic consultation, and tailored support, we guide you to cut through inertia and reach practical, actionable solutions.
Ultimately, a bias for action means stepping forward with confidence, knowing that you can always adjust and refine later. By combining thoughtful planning with a can-do attitude, your organisation will be poised to thrive—innovating and adapting faster than the competition, engaging your team every step of the way.
The Actus team specialise in answering the difficult questions around how to grow your business and to maximise stakeholder value.
With extensive experience in a variety of fields, our team of experts collaborate closely with you to develop tailored solutions that align with your unique culture, circumstances, and long-term objectives.
Remember, incredible things happen when you focus on growth with purpose!
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