{"id":1492,"date":"2017-07-23T18:04:46","date_gmt":"2017-07-24T01:04:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/b-spoke.net\/?p=1492"},"modified":"2026-06-29T22:00:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T22:00:29","slug":"its-all-about-being-a-man-of-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/2017\/07\/23\/its-all-about-being-a-man-of-action\/","title":{"rendered":"It&#8217;s All About Being a Man of Action"},"content":{"rendered":"<h6>A Five Minute Read<\/h6>\n<h3>After two day\u2019s hiking up and down a snowy mountain on a hot, sunny day, all we could think about was checking into our motel room, taking showers, and housing a pizza or two at the bar.<\/h3>\n<h3>But first we had to get past the \u201cdesk clerk\u201d, simultaneously working the ice cream counter. (The jury is still out if Man-Buns are the <em>cause<\/em> of mental vacancy, or an <em>effect<\/em> of it\u2026 Regardless, the effect on others is the same.)<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cOK, I think you\u2019re going to be in Room 24\u2026\u201d he said, showing no evidence of thought.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cIs that upstairs or downstairs?\u201d we asked.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cUm\u2026.. yeah\u2026. I\u2019m not really sure\u2026 If you go out the door and to the right and then to the left you\u2019ll see the sign?\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cHow late is the bar open for dinner?\u201d We wanted that pizza.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cOh, yeah.\u201d (To the woman in back) \u201cDo you know how late they stay open at the bar? No? OK, yeah. We want to say it\u2019s like 8:30.\u201d<\/h3>\n<h3>You <u>want<\/u> to say that? And, you know, <em>is it<\/em> 8:30? Or just \u201clike\u201d 8:30? My wife could read my look as we walked away.<\/h3>\n<h3>\u201cBe nice!\u201d she said. \u201cMaybe it\u2019s his first day!\u201d<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-1502\" src=\"https:\/\/b-spoke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/pexels-photo-186181.jpeg?w=300\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/>Maybe it <u>was<\/u> his first day. If it was, then he is not the only Man of Excuses in the story. Shame on whoever runs that joint, that they didn\u2019t train him for things like\u2026 <em>Where the rooms are<\/em>. And <em>When food is available<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>And even if it was his first day, shame on him. He offered <em>no<\/em> apology for lacking basic information (which he must have been asked at least once already), nor did he demonstrate even the least bit of embarrassment at failing at the very essence of his job. Nor did he seem to indicate a desire to actually score the correct information.<\/p>\n<p>This bizarre behavior appears frequently:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>At a \u201cfamily restaurant\u201d, when a neighboring booth asked what was on a sandwich, the waiter replied, \u201cYeah, I never remember what exactly they put on the sandwiches.\u201d Ignoring the fact that it should be \u201cwe\u201d and not \u201cthey\u201d, a lack of memory should not be an Excuse for an inability to complete one of the main objectives of your job: <em>Answer questions about the menu<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li>My apartment building had a shared resource with an \u201cOut of Service\u201d sign on it, so we asked at the Information Desk when it will be operating again. \u201cYou can enter a maintenance request through our web portal.\u201d I presume Maintenance already knows it\u2019s out \u2013 they put the sign up. When will it be back up? \u201cI don\u2019t know, no one from management is here on Sundays.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>A tourist interrupted a guide who was watching YouTube on his phone, to ask how late a nearby museum was open. \u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d he said. His friend said, \u201cI think you can Google it.\u201d You think?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>What does all of this have to do with anything?<\/p>\n<p>If you guessed, \u201cIt\u2019s all about being a Man of Action,\u201d you guessed correctly!.<\/p>\n<h4>Getting It Done<\/h4>\n<p>A popular myth is that a \u201cMan of Action\u201d is someone who <u>does<\/u> a lot of things. Actually, a Man of Action is someone who gets things done.<\/p>\n<p><em>(On the <a href=\"http:\/\/b-spoke.net\/binneys-laws\/3-be-a-man-of-action\/#nonogyny\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">gender neutrality of \u2018Man of Action\u2019<\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>At its core, it is about being of service to others. And not accepting less.<\/p>\n<p>A Man of Action doesn\u2019t have to know everything. But a Man of Action should know how to find answers. (Although, if it\u2019s a Man of Action\u2019s <em>job<\/em> to know things, well\u2026.)<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201cLet me call over to the bar and find out how late they\u2019re open for you\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cI will be right back \u2013 I\u2019m going to ask in the kitchen what they put on sandwiches. And you know what? I\u2019m going to write it down so the next person that asks me gets an answer.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201cTo: Maintenance. CC: Management. RE: NETMA<br \/>\nNobody ever tells me anything! When you shut something down, please let us up front know\u2026\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If a Man of Action is in a position of having to turn elsewhere for answers, (s)he should be able to say, \u201cI don\u2019<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1499\" src=\"https:\/\/b-spoke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/switchboard-2332239_1280.jpg?w=300\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" \/>t know. But here is what I am doing for you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A Man of Action doesn\u2019t let those around him wander in a fog.<\/p>\n<p>A Man of Action is not selfish. (Self-ish.)<\/p>\n<p>Yes, being of service to others means a Man of Action may have to go out of his way now and again, but only momentarily. \u201cAction\u201d defies the laws of physics, in that it is hyper-efficient: Jumping into Action provides a greater benefit than the effort required.<\/p>\n<h4>Be a Better Customer<\/h4>\n<p>Amazingly, they ordered the sandwich, anyway.<\/p>\n<p>Customers need to stop putting up with Excuses. We wonder why it\u2019s so hard to \u201chold people accountable\u201d in our PMOs, field offices, etc. Perhaps it\u2019s because we don\u2019t hold people accountable anywhere else in society?<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>Would you please call over to the bar and find out? And then write it down, so you\u2019ll remember next time?<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Would you please find out what\u2019s in the sandwich?<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>Please find out when it will be back in service. You have my contact info \u2013 just drop me a line. \u2018Kay thanks.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Given how easy it is to be a Man of Action, why are we so few and far between? That\u2019s a great question. Maybe it stems from the app-ification of America, or the mollycoddling of the OverAchieving Generation.<\/p>\n<p>Knowing what is happening around us, and sharing that with customers, is not a burden. It\u2019s the job. Asking others to do their jobs is not \u201cbeing demanding\u201d; it\u2019s expecting minimum viability.<\/p>\n<h4>Man vs. Man (of Excuses)<\/h4>\n<p>What can you do to combat this? Also a great question. But one that has answers:<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-1503\" src=\"https:\/\/b-spoke.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/pexels-photo-246124.jpeg?w=300\" alt=\"\" width=\"281\" height=\"187\" \/>When you see someone who\u2019s lost, give him directions; when you see someone\u2019s hands are full, hold the door; check your mirrors; when you drop something, pick it up. If you see someone drop something, help pick it up. Connect the call, don\u2019t perfunctorily give out the number. Follow up (even if \u201cfollow up\u201d consists of a simple acknowledgement.) Say \u201cThank You\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>You don\u2019t have to go the extra mile to be a Man of Action \u2013 just take one step in the right direction.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>Post-Script<\/h4>\n<p>Yes, I am a big fan of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lmgtfy.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Let Me Google That For You<\/a>, more than a Man of Action should be. But I only invoke it as a specific \u2013 and earned \u2013 consequence, usually to shame a Man of Excuses that should know better.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pity those who are in over their heads.<\/p>\n<p>But a pox upon those who brazenly don&#8217;t even try.<\/p>\n<p>You don&#8217;t need to give 109 percent or more to be a Man of Action &#8211; you just have to be present. <a href=\"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/2017\/07\/23\/its-all-about-being-a-man-of-action\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">It&#8217;s All About Being a Man of Action<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2274,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2],"tags":[11,37,40,47,48],"class_list":["post-1492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-binneys-laws","tag-we-not-they","tag-first-world-problems","tag-getting-shit-done","tag-man-of-action","tag-man-of-excuses"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/action-featured.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1492"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1492\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2436,"href":"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1492\/revisions\/2436"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thirdactmedia.com\/b-spoke\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}