Would people think of you if I asked them who personifies the term 'executional excellence'? Would they say that you are a leader who predictably gets the right thing done in the best possible way? Not many achieve this plateau on a consistent basis because it requires great skill, experience and rigor. To develop the skill, I suggest you learn how to travel along The Sterling Silver Cord™.
Picture a cord with five nodes along its length. Imagine this represents the five disciplines a leader must excel at when faced with a challenge. Whether it takes 5 seconds or 5 months to consider all of the possible solutions and to decide upon the right approach depends on the magnitude of the challenge. Ultimately, you choose an approach and this becomes your “Strategy”.
To bring the strategy to life, “Plans” must be developed and “Checkpoints” set to review and critique progress. If all is on track, stay the course. But if the outcome is at risk, “Innovation” is required to bring the strategy and plans back in line.
Now strategy, plans, checkpoints and innovation will set you up for success, but you are not finished. To execute means to get the task done. This is a skill that business leaders exhibit early in their careers to get noticed, but often feel they can delegate to others once they have arrived. “Making it happen” is the most under-rated skill of a business leader. “Tactics” represent the fifth node and they are a critical step to closing the loop of executional excellence.
Upon which of the five nodes do you feel most comfortable spending your time? Upon which do you need to intentionally focus? Watch my blog for more detail in weeks to come.