How good is your say-to-do ratio?

How good is your say-to-do ratio?
How good is your say-to-do ratio?

Are your words and actions in harmony? The say-to-do ratio, a powerful tool for self-assessment, gauges this alignment. Let's delve into its significance, how to calculate it, and ways to improve it for personal and professional growth.

Reliability

Reliability is a foundational quality that sets the best team players apart

  • It’s a one-to-one ratio between say and do: if you observe a good ratio of someone doing what they say they will do, they will earn your trust
  • You can count on them, and you can get by with fewer layers of management

Following through matters

If people are not held to account and are left to operate with a lopsided say-to-do ratio, the effect can be like a negative version of compound interest

  • Leaders should make this issue explicit and send a clear signal to the company that following through matters

Reliability

If the majority of people in an organization don’t have a strong say-to-do culture, the business is going to be slower than it otherwise could or should be

  • Employees who say it-and mean it-share the important quality of owning the responsibility for following through
  • It removes the hierarchy of an org chart and acknowledges that everyone relies on one another to achieve a goal

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