“Execution is one of the great ’unaddressed’ issues in the business world today.”
–Bossidy and Charan

MOST often what makes one company stand apart from its competitors is the the difference in speed and consistency of execution.

Execution is one of the great “unaddressed” issues in the business world today. Bossidy and Charan, in their landmark book, “Execution –The Discipline of Getting Things Done, – assert that “Its absence is the single biggest obstacle to success and the cause of most of the disappointments that are mistakenly attributed to other causes.

In my consulting with organizations, I often hear leaders venting their frustration about their inability to get things done. The mindset has not changed. One of the issues is that they place too much emphasis on high-level strategy, on intellectualizing and philosophizing, and not enough emphasis on implementation. People may agree on a project or initiative, but very often nothing would come out of it.

How to make it happen?

Execution is the culture of getting strategies and plans implemented consistently to create value for stakeholders, staff and the customers. So how do we go about getting it done?

Execution is a discipline, and integral to strategy

Execution is a systematic process of rigorously discussing the hows and whats; the process of questioning; and then the discipline of tenaciously following through and ensuring accountability. It involves asking the 5 W and 1 H questions.

• Why should we do it?
• What needs to be done to achieve the outcomes we want?
• Who is going to get it done?
• When is it going to be done?
• Where should we do it?
• How should it be done?

It is a systematic way of exposing reality and acting on it.  Jack Welch forced realism into all of GE’s management processes, making it a model of an execution culture.

The leader creates the culture for the team to face realities squarely.

We need accountability for results – discussed openly and agreed to by those responsible – to get things done and then to reward the best performers. We need follow-through to ensure the plans are on track.

The Business Leader Sets The Tone

An organization can execute only if the leader’s heart and soul are immersed in the company. Leading is more than just thinking strategically, attempting to inspire your people with visions, while managers do the work. The leader has to be engaged personally and deeply in the business. Execution is the major job of the business leader.

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