Watch What They Do

As I age, I’ve become less patient with words.

Having worked across teams, cultures, and geographies, I have heard many versions of good intent. People usually know what the right thing to say is.

So, I watch what they do.

Intentions matter. But repeated actions reveal priorities far more clearly than explanations ever can.

Examples that are common:

They say the customer is the priority, but do not return the customer’s call.

They say collaboration matters, but protect information when another team needs it.

They say they own the outcome, but go silent the moment something goes wrong.

I know there is a danger in becoming too cynical and ignoring what people say completely.

But when words and actions repeatedly diverge, I have learned to trust the actions.

Perhaps that is unfair sometimes.

But behaviour leaves very little room for interpretation.