When Words Outrun Work: Closing the Gap
Created at: August 26, 2025
When all is said and done, more is said than done. — Lou Holtz
The Say–Do Discrepancy
Lou Holtz’s quip distills a stubborn truth: in many endeavors, output skews toward conversation rather than completion. We discuss goals, outline plans, and celebrate intentions, yet the ledger of finished work remains thin. The line is humorous, but it also serves as a diagnostic—pointing to a universal gap between rhetoric and results. Because this gap recurs across personal, professional, and civic life, it invites a deeper look. Why do words come so easily, while deeds resist? The answer spans culture, psychology, and systems design, and by tracing those threads, we can move from a clever observation to practical remedies.
Echoes Through Tradition
Across centuries, sages have warned against eloquence without execution. Confucius observed, “The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions” (Analects 14.29). Roman maxims cut even shorter: Acta non verba—deeds, not words. In a theological register, the Epistle of James insists that “faith without works is dead” (James 2:17). These voices, though diverse, converge on a single caution: speech untethered to action corrodes credibility. With that historical backdrop, we can turn to modern psychology to understand why even well-meaning people still overtalk and underdo.
Why Saying Feels Like Doing
Behavioral research shows an intention–action gap: we plan more than we perform. The planning fallacy (Kahneman and Tversky; Buehler et al., 1994) leads us to underestimate effort and time, while the brain rewards anticipation—talking about goals can trigger dopamine akin to making progress. Moreover, hyperbolic discounting favors easy present talk over effortful future deeds. Fortunately, implementation intentions—specific if–then plans—help convert resolve into results. Peter Gollwitzer’s work (1999) demonstrates that “If it’s 7 a.m., then I will run 2 miles” outperforms vague aims. Translating promises into situational triggers narrows the chasm between said and done—and sets the stage for organizational application.
The Meeting Trap at Work
In organizations, talk expands to fill calendars. Status meetings multiply artifacts—slides, memos, and minutes—without guaranteeing outcomes. Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan’s Execution (2002) argues that strategies fail less for poor vision than for weak follow-through. Compounding this, Goodhart’s Law (1975) warns that when a measure becomes a target, it can distort behavior—encouraging verbose reports over valuable results. Thus, institutions often optimize for what is easy to say rather than what is hard to ship. The remedy is to convert conversation into commitment, so that words obligate action rather than substitute for it.
From Talk to Commitment
To bind words to work, make commitments concrete: name a single owner, specify the deliverable, and set a date. If–then plans operationalize the path, while precommitments (public goals, calendar blocks, or small penalties) raise the cost of delay. Amazon’s PRFAQ practice—draft the press release first—forces clarity on what will exist and why before effort begins. Moreover, shift forums from updates to decisions, and require weekly demos of progress. When teams must “show the thing,” language becomes a tool for coordination rather than a refuge from responsibility.
Measure What Matters Most
Outcomes should eclipse outputs. Counting documents, meetings, or hours easily inflates the said side of Holtz’s equation. Instead, favor leading indicators tied to real change—customer adoption, defect rates, cycle time. The Agile Manifesto (2001) captured this bias succinctly: working software over comprehensive documentation. By foregrounding tangible value, teams develop a culture where speech earns its keep by enabling delivery—and where completion, not commentary, becomes the default finish line.
The Say–Do Ratio Habit
Credibility compounds when people keep promises consistently. Track a personal say–do ratio: for every commitment made, mark whether it was delivered on time and as specified. Start by making fewer, smaller promises—then fulfill them relentlessly—and expand only when reliability is proven. In the end, Holtz’s barb becomes a blueprint: let words be precise, scarce, and binding; let deeds be visible, iterative, and steady. When the balance flips—when more gets done than said—trust rises, results improve, and talk regains its proper purpose: to make the work possible.