Doers make things happen. Talkers get the credit.

There are always people in the background of any huge project or enterprise. They worked hard, read a lot, and experimented so things could get done. They let achievements speak for themselves, and sometimes, that works for them. More often than not, though, they don’t get enough credit for the work they did. They don’t draw attention to it, they just do it.

Talkers do the opposite. They are so good at rallying people together, at inspiring them or just getting themselves noticed that, often, they realize that’s all they need to do. People who pay attention to talkers think “why would he lie?” or “he really believes in himself,” so they believe what the talker says even though there may not be evidence of it.

The result is that doers work harder to get their stuff noticed, whereas talkers just talk more. Both sides work (kind of). But what we really need people in between.

via inoveryourhead.net

I loved this post from @julien this morning and realised how true it is of many corporations, especially Pharma in the US.

Over time, I have learned to reflect carefully and be wary of the talkers and the salesy people who make a lot of noise, and ask myself the key question – what do they actually achieve other than toadying to the bosses?

Often, it is the quiet people in the background that really make things happen on key projects. They're the real glue that keep teams functioning well and the people you should look after and keep happy.

Who does that in your organisation?