In a previous article, we talked about the painful causes of fence sitting.
Now let me ask you a question that I’ve asked several leaders before: “If you are sitting on the fence right now, is it causing you enough pain yet?”
Have you ever thought of what procrastination has cost you and what it could cost you in the future?
Let’s shed some light on a few of the actual “costs” to us when we decide to tell ourselves that doing something other than what we should be doing is smart. Considering the costs will help us find ways to move beyond procrastination and its consequences.
Here are just a few of the costs of fence sitting, otherwise known as procrastination.
1. Procrastination can take a potential problem and make it a crisis.
Have you in your company ever put off a maintenance issue or needed upgrade, only to have it creep up later as a large-scale issue (or emergency) with considerable added cost? Have you ever run out of gas because it wasn’t convenient to stop for gas when the light first came on? Did the first example empty out critical funds, while the second example made you late for an important meeting
Be the kind of leader who takes care of problems before they become crises.
2. Procrastination can hurt people.
If you have a partner – or partners – in your business, laziness can ruin the partnerships. When one person believes they are doing more than the other, issues start to arise. If one partner is lazy or angry, it is almost impossible to make a critical work. Many business partnerships are rooted in critical . It is a harsh fact, but in most of these cases, both partners knew exactly what needed to be done to make things work, but they did not exert the necessary efforts to change.
Be a leader who works hard, and create a team who does the same.
3. Procrastination wastes opportunities.
Sometimes opportunity knocks, and no one is home. We can be so closed off to opportunity that we never get a chance to take advantage of it. Look around you. You already know people who took advantage of opportunities. They are often called “lucky”. The fact is, “luck” is often the result of taking action when others just sit on the sidelines. Wayne Gretzky said it well: “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
Be a leader who actively seeks opportunity and shoots for the goal.
4. Procrastination sets a bad example.
As a leader, you set an example. It can be a good or bad example, but you do set an example – for your peers, your employees, your family, and your community. Procrastinating leaders set the example of fear, anger, laziness, and indecision. They fail to discipline themselves and therefore cannot create discipline and action within the organization or in the other areas of their lives.
Be a leader who sets the gold standard in each area of your life.
It has been said that actions have consequences. Inaction has consequences, too. As a leader, your action – or inaction – can mean the difference between a great result or a serious crisis. Don’t pay the high price of fence sitting.
Dave Ferguson is “The Leaders’ Coach”, an internationally recognized executive leadership coach, speaker, facilitator, and author. For help in getting off the proverbial fence and on to success, “ASK COACH DAVE” at 704-907-0171 or at Dave@AskCoachDave.com.