Creating a Culture of Execution
JFK Speech to Congress
“I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.”
JFK AT RICE UNIVERSITY
“We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win…I realize that this is, in some measure, an act of faith and vision, for we do not know what benefits await us. But if I were to say, my fellow citizens, that we shall send to the moon, 240,000 miles away from the control station in Houston, a giant rocket more than 300 feet tall, the length of this football field, made of new metal alloys, some of which have not yet been invented, capable of standing heat and stresses several times more than have ever been experienced, fitted together with a precision better than that of the finest watch, carrying all the equipment needed for propulsion, guidance, control, communications, food and survival, on an untried mission, to an unknown celestial body, and then returned it safely to earth, re-entering atmosphere at speeds of over 25,000 miles per hour, causing heat about half that of the temperature of the sun and do all this, and do it right, and do it first before this decade is out, then we must be bold.”
- President John F. Kennedy
“Up is not an easy direction.”
The Challenge: Ability to Execute
“Leadership without the discipline of execution is incomplete and ineffective. Without the ability to execute, all other attributes of leadership become hollow”
— Larry Bossidy Chairman, Honeywell International
THIS IS #2 ON the The NYT Best Sellers list
THE POWER OF FOCUS
0
1–2
2–3
Goals Achieved With Excellence
11–20
4–10
2–3
Number of Goals
A leader who says “I’ve got ten priorities” doesn’t know what he is talking about. He doesn’t know himself what the most important things are. You’ve got to have these few, clearly realistic goals and priorities…
Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan, Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, New York: Crown Business, 2002
Our Partner
In the very beginning we talked about separating the wildly important goals from the merely important
WILDLY IMPORTANT
important adj. 1: meaning a great deal; having significance, value
wildly important adj. 1: of visionary and strategic import; carrying serious economic consequence; potential for unbelievable satisfaction of key stakeholders; causing intense excitement and enthusiasm
Wildly Important Goals =
The BIG WIGS
Why WIGS?
Why are we talking about wigs…this wig does not help the overall attractiveness of this person
Ram Charan
We’ve partnered with these folks to create a short survey instrument that allows leaders to understand where the focus and execution issues lie within the organization. We’ll talk about this survey in depth later. Here are some significant findings from that survey as it relates to individual and organizational focus . . .
Created by FranklinCovey in cooperation with McKinsey & HarrisInteractive Research
Global baseline of 11,000 professionals in 10 functional areas in 10 major industries
Margin of error on baseline data: +/- 1%
28 questions scored on a scale of 0 – 100
Scores are compared to industry, best practice, and global averages
Synergy
Focus
8 Standards of Execution
Clarity
Commitment
Translation
Discipline
Enabling
Collaboration
Trust
Accountability
Synergy
Focus
Do people know what to do?
8 Standards of Execution
Lack of Clarity
Clarity
Commitment
Translation
Discipline
Enabling
Collaboration
Trust
Accountability
Synergy
Focus
8 Standards of Execution
Do people know what to do?
2. Do they want to do it?
3. Do they know how to do it?
4. Do they sustain the course?
5. Do they work together?
Clarity 52
Commitment 52
Translation 43
Discipline 65
Enabling 32
Collaboration 49
Trust 59
Accountability 57
Synergy 49
Focus 53
XQ51 (National Averages)
2
xQ Results: Individuals in Typical Organizations
xQ: Teams in Typical Organizations
My organization’s most important goals are translated to the goals of my work group
Individual tasks are reviewed at least monthly with my manager
We work in an atmosphere of trust where people can express differences of opinion freely
We hold each other accountable for doing what we commit to do
27%
12%
56%
46%
xQ: Typical Organizations
Four Disciplines of Execution
Focus on the “wildly important” not the merely important.
Build measures that motivate.
Translate 30,000 foot goals into new front line behaviors.
Win as a team.
MANAGERS WORK HARD BUT FAIL TO PROVIDE FOCUS AND DIRECTION
More than million workers were asked to rank their managers on a scale of 77 pre-determined characteristics in this FranklinCovey Profile study. (Source: FranklinCovey Profile Center Aggregate Report, 2002)
Where it began…
Not very high on focus and direction
Work Compass—Execution Tool
Four Disciplines of Execution
#1: Focus on the Wildly Important
Execution Discipline #1: Focus on the Wildly Important
Identify 2 or 3 “MUST DO” goals
State them so that they are self-orienting and galvanizing
Gain line-of-sight understanding and commitment all the way to front-line
Align resources, recognition, and incentives to reinforce commitment
Four Disciplines of Execution
#2: Build Measures that Motivate
#2: Build Measures that Motivate
Once you reach a certain level, everyone is good, and everyone trains hard. The difference is who is more meticulous, willing to find the smallest increments of time, and as you get older and more experienced, the percentage gains grow smaller and smaller. You have to become a slave to data, to performance indicators like pedal cadence, and power output measured in watts. You have to measure literally every heartbeat, and every morsel you eat, down to each spoonful of cereal. If you weigh too little, you won’t have the physical resources to generate enough speed. If you weigh too much, your body is a burden. It is a matter of power to weight. Who knows when you might find a winning margin in a wind tunnel in December, during equipment testing? You might find another fraction of time in your position on the bike, or in a helmet, or in the composition of a wheel…because the smallest thing, like moving your hands on the handlebars, could make you three seconds slower over 25 miles.”
-Lance Armstrong-
Four Disciplines of Execution
#3: Translate 30,000 foot goals into new and better front-line behaviors
#3: Translate Goals into New and Better Activities and Behaviors
The goals of my work group are translated into my individual work goals: 25%
My individual work goals are translated into daily tasks and/or performance standards:
32%
Translating Goals into New and Better Behaviors
“The best thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise, not preceded by a period of worry and depression.”
-Author unknown
TRANSLATE GOALS INTO ACTION—Activities & Tasks
Set up WOW
display
Purchase
product
Set up WOW
display
Purchase
product
Run an ad
Run an ad
Four Disciplines of Execution
#4: Win Together
#4: Win Together
We hold each other accountable for doing what we commit to do:
46%
Individual tasks are reviewed at least monthly with my manager: 12%
We work in an atmosphere of trust where people can express differences of opinion freely
46%
Four Disciplines of Execution
Focus on the “wildly important” not the merely important.
Build measures that motivate.
Translate 30,000 foot goals into new front line behaviors.
Win as a team.
JFK Speech To Congress
“I believe we possess all the resources and talents necessary. But the facts of the matter are that we have never made the national decisions or marshaled the national resources required for such leadership. We have never specified long-range goals on an urgent time schedule, or managed our resources and our time as to insure their fulfillment.”
JFK Speech to Congress
“This decision demands a major national commitment of scientific and technical manpower, material and facilities, and the possibility of their diversion from other important activities where they are already thinly spread. It means a degree of dedication, organization, and discipline which have not always characterized our research and development efforts.”
THIS IS #2 ON the The NYT Best Sellers list
In the very beginning we talked about separating the wildly important goals from the merely important
Why are we talking about wigs…this wig does not help the overall attractiveness of this person
We’ve partnered with these folks to create a short survey instrument that allows leaders to understand where the focus and execution issues lie within the organization. We’ll talk about this survey in depth later. Here are some significant findings from that survey as it relates to individual and organizational focus . . .
Created by FranklinCovey in cooperation with McKinsey & HarrisInteractive Research
Global baseline of 11,000 professionals in 10 functional areas in 10 major industries
Margin of error on baseline data: +/- 1%
28 questions scored on a scale of 0 – 100
Scores are compared to industry, best practice, and global averages
Not very high on focus and direction
