This article is based on
following book: Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done By Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan Crown Publishing Group ISBN 0609610570 278 pages You’ve got bright ideas and smart people, and market is just ready for you. But why hasn’t your business taken off as you predicted? Maybe problem is in your execution. What does it really take to get a business going? You need right people combined with realistic strategies to create effective operating procedures. Let Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan tell you how.
A business leader’s most important job is execution of plans, “detail work,” making sure that staff is getting results. This is sort of responsibility that cannot be delegated. It is leader’s primary duty to see that every member of team is carrying out his part of big plan to ensure whole company’s success. There are no excuses for failure: market will always be tough. What spells difference between successes and failures is ability to execute plans.
Too often, too much intellectualizing and philosophy occurs at planning level. The leaders are busy with their dreams and plans for success but there is little focus on implementation, thus promised result is not delivered. The emphasis on execution as an integral part of business process has not received enough attention in terms of accumulated knowledge and literature.
The Building Blocks of Execution
The Leader’s Seven Essential Behaviors
1. Know Your People and Your Business. 2. Insist on Realism. 3. Set Clear Goals and Priorities. 4. Follow Through. 5. Reward Doers. 6. Expand People’s Capabilities through Coaching. 7. Know Yourself.
Creating Framework for Cultural Change
You can’t just institute changes for sake of shaking things up at your company. Your changes must be geared towards getting results. Be specific: what sort of behavior is acceptable in your company? What’s unacceptable? Change must begin at top-level, to set an example down line. Don’t just expect it to happen either. Reward successful implementation of your plans to instigate change.
The Job No Leader Should Delegate—Having Right People in Right Jobs
Hiring right people is as important as planning ahead; you need people who are not only capable, but also full of potential for growth as your business expands. Take time to focus on your staff, because in effect your business is in their hands. Take time to develop your staff’s leadership capabilities so that they can bring results to your plans and visions. Assess individual capabilities and determine if you can further develop your employee through training, coaching and exposure, or if he’s better off elsewhere. If you can properly develop your people, you should be able to fill top administrative posts from within. Hire a talented person and she will hire a talented person.
The Processes of Execution
A. Linking People to Strategy and Operations
Break your strategy down into manageable near-, medium- and long-term goals. Determine kinds of skills you need for upcoming goals and start laying foundations early. Then design an action plan for each step of your big plan.
B. Developing Leadership Pipeline Through Continuous Improvement, Succession Depth and Reducing Retention Risk
Meeting your goals depends on quality of people you have. Assess today those who can be leaders in future through following: The Leadership Assessment Summary, The Continuous Improvement Summary, Succession Depth, and Reducing Retention Risk Analysis.
C. Dealing with Non-performers
Non-performers are people who aren’t meeting their established goals. This does not mean that they’re unqualified or incapable. It just means they aren’t performing at level required for your company’s success. Sometimes you just need to coach a person to get them better acquainted with a job. Sometimes they just need to be transferred to another division or responsibility that’s better suited to their capabilities. Other times there’s no choice but to let him go. However, do so in a manner that allows person to keep his dignity.
