I picked up the book “Execution – The Discipline of Getting Things Done” by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan from a used book store last month. The best $5.00 I have ever spent. This clever and pithy book focuses on a simple challenge: how can leaders of an organization drive their people to deliver on their most important goals?
The authors argue that the heart of execution lies in aligning three critical elements of an organization: people, strategy and operations. The biggest single difference between businesses that execute and those that do not is the rigor and intensity with which the leader prosecutes these elements.
Bossidy and Charan assert that execution does not just happen – fundamental building blocks need to be in place for making strategy work. I share these with you below.
The Building Blocks of Execution
1. The Leader: Leaders have to live and breathe their businesses. In companies that do not execute, the leaders are usually out of touch with the day-to-day realities. On the other hand, leaders who execute successfully are grounded in realism and focus on a few very clear priorities that everyone can grasp. These successful leaders define the strategic initiative and its importance to the organization early and often. Ultimately, driving execution within an organization requires leaders to understand their business, articulate the strategic direction in a way that is easy to understand, set clear goals and priorities, reward the doers, and expand people’s capabilities through coaching.
2. The Framework for Cultural Change: A culture that rewards execution is built simply by linking rewards to performance and making the linkages transparent. Most efforts at cultural change fail because they are not linked to improving the business’ outcomes or the strategic direction chosen. To create a culture around execution – leaders must first tell people clearly what results they are looking for. Then, discuss how to get those results as part of the coaching process. Then, reward people for producing the results. If they come up short, provide additional coaching, give them other jobs or let them go.
3. The Right People in the Right Place: People are the heart of an organization. As a business owner and team leader, I can personally attest to this. Over time, having the right people in the right roles create sustainable competitive advantage. There is nothing sophisticated about the process of getting the right people in the right jobs – it is simply a matter of being systematic and consistent in interviewing and appraising people aligned with the strategic direction of the business, and developing them through useful feedback and coaching.
These foundational blocks help organizations move from aspirations to results. From strategy to execution. From industry player to industry domination.
If you are a leader and reading this - note that no strategy delivers results unless it is: converted into specific actions, measured and rewarded. If you do not know how to execute, the whole of your effort as a leader will always be less than the sum of its parts.
You can learn more about the authors HERE.
