Action Leads to Insight

by | Aug 12, 2025

When trying to find solutions to a difficult problem (like recruiting), most people search for insight from their own experiences, the insights of others, and best practices.

And then they contemplate what might work for them.

While that’s a great place to start, professors Chip and Dan Heath advise taking exploration a step further.

Research suggests that reflecting or ruminating on our own thoughts and feelings is an ineffective way to achieve true understanding.

Studying your own behavior is more fruitful.

It’s better to take a risk, try something, and distill the answer from experience rather than navel-gazing.

Action leads to insight more often than insight leads to action.

Successful recruiters and hiring managers take action based on the possibility that a promising tactic may produce positive results.

And then they measure results–not at the macro-level (Did I get a hire?), but at the micro-level (Did my call script cause my recruiting prospect to engage?).

Each small action that proves successful adds to your insight.

 

The Simple Psychology of Real Estate Recruiting [2nd Edition]

Unlock the secrets of effective real estate recruiting. Revised to include actionable frameworks for sharper execution and to help you turn psychological theory into a repeatable recruiting system.

The Attrition Variables

The Attrition Variables

While these attrition constants still have the greatest influence, there are some emerging attrition variables worth noting. People also tend to leave companies when: They feel like they’re not doing as well as others in their peer group outside the company. They feel like they’re not as far along as they should be at a certain point in life.

The Attrition Constants

The Attrition Constants

If you’re not focusing most of your retention effort on these issues, you’ll miss the mark. If you’re not focusing most of your recruiting effort on exploiting these weaknesses among your competitors, you’re missing the best opportunities.

The Persistence Mindset

The Persistence Mindset

A leader equipped with this mindset can have a profound effect on the life and career of each individual they engage. It works because an agent is getting a real-time glimpse of what it would be like to work on your team. But it only becomes believable when it is persistently applied over time.