Are You a Talker or a Doer?

I learned a valuable lesson years ago serving on a non-profit board. There are workhorses and then there are show horses! On this particular board, there were 75 members (you read that correctly!) Any guesses how many actually showed up to committee meetings and did 90+% of the heavy lifting – 10! That’s how I distinguished each characterization.

Amongst our colleagues and friends, I’ve also found that there are talkers and doers. Many will talk a good game – “I’ll take care of it,” “Let’s get together,” and “I’ve got an idea!” Most have good intentions but for whatever reason, when the rubber meets the road, they can’t or choose not to deliver. The commitment isn’t there to see it through or they’re just accustomed to doing most things half-ass.

Then there are doers! They show up, they get their head down, and get things done. I love these people because how they do anything is how they’ll do everything. No nonsense. No excuses. No reasons on why something didn’t get done. They just focus on doing until the doing is done. They’re my favorite kind of people – short on B.S. and endless on performance, execution, and results.

So, The Question is: Which one are you, a talker or a doer? How do you know? If I went to 10 random people in your work and life, which one would they say you are?