I saw this quote from Gary Vaynerhcuck the other day, and it got me thinking.

“I don’t want to convince anyone of anything. I just want to execute.” – Gary Vaynerchuk

On the surface, this seems a bit absurd – as if any of us can do anything without influencing, or “convincing” others…

But upon further reflection, this resonates with me.

At its core, this is about getting things done. And how quickly we can get things done is directly related to everyone moving urgently in the same direction with a clear understanding of the mission or goal. When we have to stop and explain what should be simple or convince others to do the things everyone should already know to do, it becomes a massive anchor dragging along the ocean floor that slows or altogether halts progress, crippling execution.

In effect, you are on the same team, but perhaps moving in different directions or even working against one another. In this situation, it’s likely there is a lack of alignment with vision, purpose, mission, or principles.

Have you ever tried to convince someone of something that you thought was so obvious that you could not understand why you were having the conversation in the first place? This is exactly his point. What a waste of time that could be spent “doing.”

Instead, when everyone is naturally aligned, understands the goal and what we are trying to accomplish, and just “gets it,” the need for these eye-roll-inducing conversations stops, and we can just execute and get things done.

No convincing required.

Do you spend more time convincing or executing? What do you think?

Share and tag someone who is great with execution.