the art of execution
Brilliant strategies that fail because they are poorly executed. Others, not so original, that are successful because they are implemented with excellence and speed.
Laws essential to society, very well conceived, but which reach the execution stage completely emptied by hundreds of amendments motivated by all kinds of interests. Others, which follow the opposite path, reach the end greatly improved.
Sophisticatedly detailed plans, with great investment of energy from the organization's main executives and technicians, but which fail because their execution is “delegated” to unprepared and poorly tuned teams. On the other hand, we see leaders-entrepreneurs who generate “drafts” of plans made on napkins during lunch and, in the afternoon, begin to implement them with exceptional attention to subtleties and great speed.
Suppose the president of a complex and large organization had the resources and autonomy to set up his "dream team". What would be the ideal composition of this team? How many presidents would include a significant percentage of “doers”? How many would think to ensure that everyone on the team was “black belt” in the art of execution?
How is your organization doing in the art of execution? Reflect on the questions below...
Is the current culture one of well-crafted plans and presentations, but poor execution?
Does the organization place more value on those who plan or who execute with excellence?
Is there a lot of participation, dialogue and ideas, but few decisions and actions?
Do appraisal and recognition systems place more value on those who generate ideas? Or do they value energy and enthusiasm in making it happen?
Is talent preparation focused on the conceptual? Or does it contemplate the competence in execution?
Do only good “idea sellers” reach leadership? Or, predominantly, the good ones at implantation?
Do leaders decide and order things to be done, without worrying about the excellence of the “means and modes” of execution? Or are they seeking to ensure the best conditions for an excellent implementation?
Company dominated by maintainers and administrators of what exists? Or by heavyweight entrepreneurs?
Company delegating all types of execution to outsourced companies? Or ensuring a critical mass of exceptional in-house deployers?
Decisions taken with great difficulty, and often questioned, altered and even abandoned during execution? Or would this be a serious fault in the current culture?
Projects attacked during execution that do not survive and are discontinued? Or is there adequate protection for ongoing projects?
Company in the chronic situation of starting many projects and not finishing? Or is there a process that “vaccinates” her against it?
What's up? What is your idea of a “dream team” after these reflections? And your idea of the ideal diversity of your dream team?
Oscar Motomura is general director and founder of Amana-key