An Action Plan Is A Promise Not a Task List

In nearly every leadership setting I’m part of—strategic planning sessions, leadership cohorts, team alignment workshops—there is a point where leaders are asked for a 90-day plan. Or a list of rocks. Or a “Top Five” focus. It’s the right things to do, but I’ve come to believe something simple and important:  An action plan is not a task list. It’s a commitment, a promise to others on the team.

• A list tells you what you’ll do.
• A promised plan tells you what will be different.

That distinction matters. Because leaders aren’t measured by how much they complete—they’re measured by what gets better. Teams, metrics, morale, systems, margins—something should shift. And if it hasn’t, you’re not done. You’ve completed tasks, but you haven’t achieved your intention.

 In our LeaderWork program, we ask participants to create action plans at the end of each unit. But we don’t stop with “What are you going to do?” We ask five questions:

1. What is the specific action you’re taking—and why does it matter? Not every good idea is a good action. Discern choices based on data and analysis.
2. What do you expect will be different as a result? This is the key question, action plans aren’t just commitments to effort. They’re commitments to outcomes and if the outcome is not known, people may be busy but not goal directed.
3. Who will benefit and who could be harmed? We use a simple stakeholder model: owners, customers, employees, suppliers, and community. This list forces leaders to consider the intended and unintended consequences of their work on all parties.
4. Which of your key performance indicators should move? If you can’t name a KPI that this action influences, it may not be the right priority.
5. What’s the expected financial impact? It doesn’t need to be a full analysis. But even a small change should have a line of sight to the P&L, balance sheet, or cash flow.

 Then, and this is crucial: when the action is done, you don’t just mark it complete. You revisit question # 2 -- your intention and review the supporting questions.

• Did the outcome occur?
• Did the metrics move?
• Did your team or stakeholders experience a meaningful difference?
• Did it affect the business in the way you anticipated?

If not, you’re not finished. You’ve learned something. And that learning becomes the foundation of your next plan. Because this isn’t about perfection—it’s about progress. Intentional, visible, accountable progress. The leader's job is to make things better.

 So if you’re a leader staring at a list of goals, ask yourself: Which of these will actually make something better? Then lead with that. When a leader pursues change with clear intent, measured impact, and follow-through— that’s a leader at work.