Action vs. Activation

A subtle but powerful difference to get meaningful traction

It must have been one of these dreary “almost spring” days a few weeks ago. I was sitting in my office, possibly in a bit of a funky mood, wrestling with the idea of: How do I actually build this business!?

I know what I am good at - Connecting deeply, powerfully with people and help them see what they want, why they want it and how they might get there. That ability paired with an insatiable curiosity for life, 20 years of experience in business around the world, boundless energy and the ability to create this in others makes me a good coach.

Now how do I get that message to the right people!?

I did what any aspiring entrepreneur would do: built the greatest marketing masterplan the world has ever seen.

Well, first I took a few masterclasses, listened to a bunch of podcasts and signed up for a membership to an exclusive solopreneur community. Then I went right into planning the best coaching website the world has seen, created a new twitter account, of course I need a blog, how about a professional headshot!? Of course! Right, what else, oh some IP is good, maybe I develop an exclusive 12 week program that transforms anyones professional career with those 5 simple steps…

The list goes on.

Luckily on that day I had a call with my own coach, Julie, scheduled. As I explained to her what I was planning to do with great enthusiasm, she just gave me this little smirk and said words that have been ringing in my ears ever since:

Ben, don’t confuse Action and Activation

Apparently it’s a trap that most people who start out fall into: They mistake being busy with being effective.

Building the most beautiful website in the world, taking yet another class, tweeting my soul out, being a content creation machine, getting my headshot straight etc are all things I can and should do over time, but on the great list of things to do, these are just activities. Busywork. Action.

What I actually needed to do is “Activation”.

So Julie challenged me: just talk to more people. It’s as simple as it is beautiful: an effective coaching relationship is all about the quality of the relationship between the coach and the client. The best way for both client and coach to find out about that chemistry is by speaking with each other.

Not every conversation will lead to a new client; however with every chat, I actually become a better coach, sharpen and practice my skills, grow my direct and indirect network, meet an interesting person and even have the chance to make their day a tiny bit better. It’s a virtuos cycle where everybody get’s something out of it. Simple, beautiful, activation.

The best part? It is working! I’ve had 112 one-on-one calls in the last 6 weeks and every single one of them has been meaningful, insightful and useful in some way. A few of them have been special and I’ve started working with those clients on a deeper level, walking a part of the way with them as they are going after their careers, personal dreams, passions.

As you are reading this, you might think that this is a pretty basic concept.

I agree, it is! Yet, I challenge you: In those areas of your personal- or work life where you want to see meaningful traction, are you actually working Activation or Action? What would true, simple, meaningful Activation look like?

Want to talk more about it? You can now meet me for ☕ on Fridays. (while slots last)