Don McMinn

Problem: We often know what to do, but we don’t do it.
Solution: Err toward action, and measure results.

Knowing what to do is not enough; we must do. In some cases, the gap between knowing and doing is more inhibiting than the gap between ignorance and knowing. Competitive advantage comes from being able to do something others can’t or don’t do.

To avoid the knowing-doing gap, realize that:

1. 1. Talking is not a substitute for action. Talking about something is not the equivalent of actually doing it. Rhetoric is often an essential first step, but eventually something has to get done and someone has to do it.
      Beware of people who:
      • Talk too much. Sometimes there is an inverse relationship between how much a person talks and his ability to get things done.
      • Use “smart language” or technical jargon. Complex language and ambiguous terminology confuses people and inhibits action. People who resort to this may be hiding behind incompetence.
      • Are critical. Some people try to sound smart by criticizing other people’s ideas.
   2. Making decisions is not a substitute for action. By itself, a decision changes nothing.
   3. Preparing documents is not a substitute for action.
   4. Planning is not a substitute for action.
   5. Just because something is easy to understand doesn’t mean it will be easy to implement.

How to close the gap

1. 1. When possible, learn by doing; “If you do it, then you will know it.”
      When you learn by doing, there is no knowing-doing gap. Knowledge that is actually implemented is much more likely to be acquired from learning by doing than from learning by reading, listening, or even thinking. Surgeons follow a three-step process of learning their trade: “hear one, see one, do one.”
   2. Always err toward action. This creates opportunities for learning by doing. It helps to establish a cultural tone that action is valued and that talk and analysis without action are unacceptable. Use rapid prototyping to see if things work and then modify them on the basis of that experience.
   3. Fear can foster knowing-doing gaps. Setbacks and mistakes should be seen as an inevitable, even desirable, part of being action oriented. Action-oriented people make mistakes so provide a “soft landing.” “Learning is an extension of the word trying.” Nanus and Bennis
   4. Measure results, not actions. “The foundation of any successfully run business is a strategy everyone understands coupled with a few key measures that are routinely tracked” (Dean Tjosvold). Often, measuring many things is counterproductive; measuring more things will not necessarily get more of the right things done; but do measure important metrics. Don’t measure activity; measure results.
   5. As a leader, adopt an apprenticeship approach to managing your team members; be a coach, not just a teacher or mentor. Unfortunately, knowing by doing is, initially, a less cost-effective way of transmitting knowledge and changing behavior (it is counterintuitive to much of our Internet-driven culture), but ultimately, it is the best way.

For the past 14 years, I’ve led groups of friends on annual trips to destinations around the world. We’ve explored Paris, London, Western Europe, Russia, Peru, the Mediterranean, Baltic States, Greek Isles, British Isles, and North Africa. We’ve never had a malfunction or bad experience — just memorable, life-enhancing experiences.

On our 2025 trip, we’ll explore the “Last Frontier” — Alaska. We’ll see steep forest mountain slopes, pristine waters, calving glaciers, and Native American settlements. Wildlife sightings will include whales, seals, sea otters, eagles, bears, and mountain goats (bring your binoculars)!

Mary and I have been to Alaska 10 times and enjoy it more each time we go. This trip will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. There are so many things to like about this trip:

• • Most cruises to Alaska are 7-days; ours is 11-days.
  • We’ll sail aboard the stunning 5-star Queen Victoria; one of four ships owned by the iconic Cunard Cruise Line.
  • We’ll sail the famous Inside Passage, visiting Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm.
  • August is the ideal time for travel; coastal temperatures average 50-60° F with 18 hours of daylight.
  • Most cruises to Alaska do not include shore excursions; ours does.
  • We’ll have a full day to explore Seattle.
  • The flight from DFW to Seattle is only four hours.
  • The itinerary includes a stop in beautiful Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

It’s been said that one of the joys of traveling is not only where you go but who you go with and who you meet along the way. This boutique trip will be limited to 50 individuals who travel well and enjoy exploring great places.

There’s a reason we call our trips Travel with Friends. We want to create an experience in which lifelong friendships can be established and nurtured.

Travel takes time and money, but it’s worth the investment. You’ll be stretched and challenged, and you’ll learn more about the world in which we live and the life you live in the world.

I hope you’ll join us on this memorable trip. See below for brochure.

Don and Mary

Click here for information brochure.

There are times when I am so unlike myself that I might be taken for someone else of an entirely opposite character. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Confessions, 1782

Recently, Mary and I hosted our neighborhood’s monthly dinner party. From 7:00 to 11:00 p.m. our home was filled to capacity with people.

I struggle at these events because I am the archetypal introvert. My idea of a good evening is to sequester myself in my study and read a book. I would rather chew on cut glass than have to be “on” for four hours at a social event.

But last night I played the part. I was a gregarious, talkative, engaging host.

Was I being disingenuous and hypocritical? I don’t think so, because sometimes we need to act like someone we’re not. Psychologists have a term for this: counter-dispositional behavior.

I learned this lesson from psychology professor Brian Little’s book titled Me, Myself, and Us: The Personality and the Art of Well-Being. Little teaches a large, popular psychology course at Harvard. Though he is an introvert, his teaching style is very animated and energetic, so much so that his students are always surprised to hear him admit that when he’s teaching, he’s also acting. Little explains and defends his behavior in chapter three of his book: Free Traits: On Acting Out of Character.

I’m a big proponent of authenticity; we all need to discover how we are unique, accept the distinctions, and live authentically. Be your true self because therein lies deep satisfaction. Long term, you cannot sustain inauthentic behavior. But in the short term you can, and sometimes should, fake it.

Dr. Little says there are two main reasons why counter-dispositional behavior is often necessary — for professional reasons and for love.

If certain aspects of your work require you to be someone you’re not, have the emotional fortitude to play the part. For instance, if you’re a salesperson you may need to be more animated than your real self would normally be. Likewise, if for the love of family and friends you need to put aside your true self and temporarily assume a new persona, do so.

Last night I was an extroverted host. I did it because I love my neighbors and wanted them to feel welcomed and affirmed during their brief stay in our home. I couldn’t maintain that image 24/7, but I did for 247 minutes. Granted, it was exhausting, and when the last guest left, I went to my study, pulled out a book, and resumed my normal identity.

Former United States senator Daniel Moynihan famously said, “You are entitled to your own opinion. But you are not entitled to your own facts.”

He was distinguishing between subjective opinions and objective facts. Though everyone is free to form their own opinions, facts are universal truths that cannot be altered or ignored based on personal beliefs or preferences.

We should be lovers of facts—things that are known or proven to be true; a truth known by actual experience or observation; something that can be proven to be true or false through objective evidence.

Some people seem to be allergic to them. 

First, identify facts. With the rampant and intentional spread of disinformation and misinformation, it’s often challenging just to know fact from fiction. Some facts are indisputable: π will always be 3.14159; World War 2 happened. Other facts are harder to confirm.

Then there’s the challenge of interpreting facts. Sometimes even very smart people can come to different conclusions though they’re considering the same facts. For instance, some Noble-prize winning economists recommend austerity as the cure for a weak economy, other Noble-prize winning economist recommend stimulus. 

Often facts are presented out of context, or we’re told part of the truth but not all if it. We often cherry-pick our information, accepting only that which confirms our bias.

It’s challenging, isn’t it. Let’s just try the best we can to value and pursue facts. They are our friend.