Sometimes the optimal success principle, the very best action strategy, is to take no action. Do nothing.

I had a coaching client whose business was collapsing around him. His knee-jerk reaction was to borrow more money, hire some high-paid consultants, and staff-up with personnel. All of which accelerated his calamitous decline.

My advice: Stop. Don’t move. Get clear.

Respond. Don’t react.

We tell our kids when they’re young that if they get lost, they should “stay put,” don’t wander, “hug a tree.”  That wandering just might get them more lost.

The same is true in business and in life. Wandering around without a clear sense of direction will get you lost.

Decisions made and actions taken in the face of panic and fear are almost always faulty.

A buddy of mine tells an interesting story: He was being trained for special ops in the military. One of the final exercises, which he had to ‘pass,’ was to survive for 5 days on an island while the enemy hunted for him. Off the boat, he scrambled up the beach and into the woods while being shot at. So frightened, all he could think of doing was to dig himself a hole, crawl in, and cover himself with dirt and leaves. His comrades, of course, bounded off, utilizing all of their newly acquired tools, techniques and strategies. My friend lay quietly as the enemy passed by.

In the end, my buddy was one of the very few who survived.

Because he stopped; because he did nothing.

Stopping is an action strategy, a success principle. Often the most powerful one you can employ.

Action without clarity, without vision is an invitation for disaster, or, if you’re lucky, simply a waste.

Stop. Drop. Roll yourself into a quiet place.

And get clear.