Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
James 1:22 (New International Version)

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only.
James 1:22 (King James Version)

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What we have are our words. And words lead to actions.

Words lead to actions!

Think back to the great speeches. If you think about it, Winston Churchill did not shoot down any rockets, or take down any planes in World War II. (He had served in the military in the earlier years of his life). No, what he did was give speeches, and his words rallied a nation in distress. “We will fight them on the beaches…” were words. He had already done his fighting in the early years of his life. But fight them on the beaches is exactly that the British did, and they in fact never did surrender.

I spoke yesterday at a meeting for a company’s national sales force. They listened to my presentation; they talked to each other; they will be listening and talking more over the next couple of days. And then, after all this “talking and listening,” they will go about their work, hopefully more effectively than before the meeting.

I just read a terrific article about a company that understands how to run meetings effectively: This $2.8 billion startup gets all of its daily meetings done in 10 minutes. The lesson is simple: first you meet — which is really just talking and listening — and then you work.

What we have are our words. And then the words lead to actions.

That’s the path.

Have you read any good books; books that help you do your work better? It’s the same path. First, someone writes the words. Then you read (“listen to”) the words written. Then you act.

That’s the path.

So, we ought to get very good at choosing the right words, saying them (or writing them) very well, and listening to each other when the words are spoken. And, then, we have to move from reading and listening to acting on what we have heard, read, and learned.