EXECUTION

The holy Grail. Businesses have incredible opportunity and the Vision has been made clear by the CEO, The strategy is spelt out; investors and the board (if you have either) are supportive. A beautiful 30 page plan has been approved, and simplified to a one page plan which is on the wall everywhere. So how confident are you that you will achieve the objectives, especially the longer term ones that determine enterprise value?

Execution is the proof of leadership. For excellent execution it is necessary to have clear vision, a clear journey mapped out and a clear plan, but it is not sufficient. A business leader needs to lead through very clearly defined processes and protocols. Jim Collins in the book Good to Great defines the Great leaders as “Level 5” - not necessarily charismatic but leaders with a combination of humility and relentless drive for performance. It is all the things that most of us fail at - consistency, good habits and focusing on others not ourselves.

Dan Collins (no relation!) is an Australian speaker on accountability, with a background in elite sports. He emphasises that the currency of work is “performance”. CEOs - that’s what you are paid to do. It is not about you, much more about your direct team and the whole organisation performing as a team.

Since we are all human and all egocentric the re-assuring thing is there are good tools for a leader to apply. It may be the most uncomfortable part of the role but when it is embedded, the most rewarding! These tools cover - Meeting rhythms - the concept of Flow - talking about the right things at the right time with the right people taking ownership. Focusing on the right issues. And, finally, the idea of Quarterly Priority Management.

Meeting rhythm and Cascade model

Patrick Lencioni in his comprehensive work on organisational health, “The Advantage”, emphasises that Meetings, when run well, are absolutely essential.

To achieve alignment between the plan and the day to day operations we need different meetings with different formats and mindsets. The common language should link the objectives through very specific “Key results”. One of the best examples of clear use of meeting rhythms was by Alan Mulally, CEO of Ford and described in the book “American Icon” with his “Business Plan review” model.

The analogy of a sports team that is under pressure springs to mind - keeping the shape and focus on the specific roles are even more important when there are urgent distractions.

Issue Management and Focus

Every business has a myriad of issues. Some are problems, some are opportunities. Some can be solved quickly at a local level, others are complex and need many people’s inputs.

With the cascade model clearly in mind, the first element is to address issues at the right level of the organisation. How often does a leader get asked to solve a problem, when they are even further from the issue than people asking?

There are always simple steps that help leaders focus on the real issues:

1. Identify the issues - define them without trying to solve them

2. Prioritise - and focus on those with the biggest impact

3. Use problem solving processes - ensuring the real issue is in focus - asking questions before jumping to the solution

4. Identify actions and, of course, follow up at the next meeting

Quarterly Priority Management

For most businesses, a set of annual goals is too long term. As issues are identified we have to address them as well as ensuring the next phase of the annual goal is delivered.

There is significant common sense in the use of a 90 day plan. Once a month often isn’t enough to make progress . This might include hiring people, restructuring, training people, visiting key customers and implementing new processes and systems.

Use of Agile methodologies can be used to great effect here especially bring in visual management and tactile boards. The key is everybody knows what people are focused on and this can then be reinforced in weekly and daily tactical meetings.