I have come across that phrase before – I used it when I had been to China to describe just what happens there – they just do it. Of course it was coined by Nike in the 1988 ad campaign as a slogan – I remember the tee shirt well.

I was a two meeting last week where the phrase was used. In different contexts – but with the same aim.

Firstly, there was an opportunity to bid for something – and the usual route to a bid is to write a business plan. It’s a tried and tested method – and you can make the whole thing as glossy as you like – some folks even include pictures! There’s nothing wrong with this – except it’s all a bit same as same as stuff? Thats’ what everyone does. SO the concept we came up with was a bit different. Why don’t we actually do what we are bidding for? Just do it. Then show the people who have asked for the bid what we have done. It may take a little more effort, but it can be done. This story will all start to make sense when I can tell you what the bid is about!

Then I was at a second meeting (I do lot’s of meetings!) and the phrase came out again. In this context it was a bout working as a collective group on some research. It is really fascinating stuff and potentially will put Nottingham on the world map (and I will blog about this later). But the meeting was getting a little bogged down in how the relationships might work. In other words it became about the money. Grant bids and applications. Then someone suggested that we push all this to one side – and just do it. Just get the people who have an interest together and talk about it – let’s start the journey and see where we end up.

In both cases the act of doing is much more likely to get us somewhere forward than sitting writing long reports about … doing it?