Strategy execution best practices: The 7 point framework
Here’s an interesting question I’d like to ask you, “Would people in our organization still be busy even if they are given no goals to pursue?”
Most likely the answer is yes!
Why is this the case?
Well, Chris McChesney, from the 4 disciplines of execution, attributes this to the “whirlwind effect” which takes precedence at workplace. He defines the “whirlwind effect” as the everyday job that people think is the “real” work that they need to do.
However, most often than not, activities required to achieve a new goal require new efforts and initiatives. Although people tend to think that these new efforts are certainly important, they tend to pass them off as being not urgent for them to pursue. This is because they are caught in the “whirlwind” of doing their everyday jobs that they prioritize as being urgent.
And, needless to say when urgency and importance clash, urgency tends to win! Think about the last time you thought something was important and interesting for the achievement of your organizational goals, but you couldn’t spend time on it because you were drawn into the tussle of executing the “everyday activities”.
Here’s another thought provoking question we need to ask ourselves constantly: Is what we think as urgent on a day to day basis really important for us to achieve our goals?
Chris also quotes Ram Charan, the execution Guru from his book, Execution – The discipline of getting things done, where he states that “70% of poor execution is due to poor execution of leaders. It’s rarely for lack of smarts or vision!”
So then, what are the 7 things we can focus on to ensure that we substantially improve our chances of achieving our goals?
- Do we, at first, know clearly what we need to achieve as an organization?
- Does everyone in the organization know clearly “WHAT“ they need to do to, for the organization to achieve its goals?
- Does everyone know “HOW” to achieve their goals?
- Is there a clear idea about what organizational capabilities, processes and systems are required to achieve the goals and where are we currently as an organization?
- Do we have leading and lagging indicators for the goals that we can use to monitor and control the execution?
- Does everyone in the organization have a clear cut accountability towards the organizational goals?
- Do you as the organizational leader spend time towards performance coaching? Have you enabled a culture of performance coaching?
As with any other effort, successful execution requires a concerted and cohesive approach, otherwise we are leaving many things to chance! And, I’m sure you’d agree with me that leaving things to chance almost never guarantees any results!
P.S. Metis ERC(I) Pvt. Ltd. has developed frameworks and philosophies that enable a scientific and cohesive approach to business execution. Please get in touch with us to know more about them.
