Action Beats Planning

Shaan Puri shares a story about his father's approach to business opportunities, highlighting the contrast between action and over-planning. He uses this to illustrate a broader point about the importance of execution over excessive planning in business situations.

Key Points:

• Father's Business Approach:

  • Addicted to meetings and planning
  • Values meeting duration as measure of success
  • Focuses on completely de-risking opportunities
  • Recognizes but struggles to change his low-action tendency

• Impact of Over-Planning:

  • Missed COVID-related business opportunity
  • Could have secured $2-3 million contract
  • Lost opportunity due to excessive preparation
  • Wanted everyone to sign off and pay upfront

• Contrast with Successful Approaches:

  • Need to take some risk in business
  • Action is more valuable than perfect planning
  • Quick execution often beats perfect preparation
  • "It's all about that action boss"

• Personal Recognition:

  • Father acknowledges his tendency
  • Went to Tony Robbins event
  • Identified "massive action" as his problem
  • But still maintains planning-heavy approach

• Business Success Despite Tendency:

  • Father still achieved success
  • Went from "village in India to owning multiple homes"
  • Shows success possible even with flaws
  • But could have achieved more with better action/planning balance

• Lesson:

  • Business requires balance of planning and action
  • Over-planning can kill opportunities
  • Some risk is necessary for success
  • Recognition of problem doesn't automatically fix it