The Results‑First World — Part 1: Activity vs. Impact

Reflecting on how AI's prevalence is transforming customer service and project leadership, it's clear that there is an unyielding demand for results, whether you're a leader or a team member. Excuses are no longer valid, as everyone understands what AI can achieve. Your greatest strength lies not in task completion, but in evaluating tasks against desired outcomes and swiftly delivering those results to your customers or leadership. The following insights are from an older post I wrote about prioritizing impact over activity, which I believe is the first step in adapting our thinking in this new era. Once you concentrate on the right tasks and priorities to achieve the necessary results, reaching your goals quickly and efficiently with a human-centered approach becomes crucial.

“Productivity is never an accident. It’s the result of commitment to excellence, intelligent planning, and focused effort.” – Paul J. Meyer

Each evening, when I sit down for dinner with my family, we ask each other about how our days were (standard stuff I know, but my kids always manage to surprise me with what they come up with).

Recently, my kids asked me how my day was, and without thinking I replied, “Busy, busy, busy.” Their follow‑up...“Busy with what?” stopped me in my tracks. It made me reflect on how often we confuse activity with impact. You can fill an entire day with motion and still not move the needle on what truly matters. This was certainly me for many years in my career, proud that I had responded to emails and pings lightning fast, but always casting excuses about why the deeper work never got done.

Being aware of the difference is a secret I have seen of many leaders and top performers. They turn effort into outcomes. They trade busyness for progress. And they build trust with their teams and customers by focusing on what actually drives results.

🛠️ Tanner’s Tips:

• Focus on the outcome

  • I’ll admit it, I love to implement. That means I sometimes jump straight into tasks before stepping back to think. But even a brief pause to define the goal and what success looks like can save hours of rework later. When you’re clear on the outcome, the steps become clearer and the noise becomes easier to ignore.

• Pick your one thing

  • Call it your “big rock,” your “edible frog,” or your “top priority”, the name doesn’t matter. What matters is choosing the one thing each day that will make the biggest impact if you do it well. I write my one thing on a white board in my office and take great pride when I can put a check mark next to it each day.

  • Research shows that 60–90 minutes of focused work at your peak time can transform your results.

  
  

❓ A Question to Leave You With

Where in your week are you being busy and where are you being effective?

Let that answer guide what you choose to do next.