Six Disciplines to execute your strategy

Jim Crisafulli

03/12/2011

Why is executing strategy so difficult for most organizations?
Strategy execution – two powerful words that should rightfully be addressed together (synonymously), however are often (business) worlds apart. Unfortunately, strategy (what needs to be done) and execution (getting it done!) are more mutually exclusive to each other than they should be.
Developing an organization’s strategy is not very difficult. Whether accomplished internally by the leadership team, or with the assistance of an experienced facilitator, organizations make decisions about their strategy every day.
What most organizations do not do is execute that strategy. Through no fault of their own (it is just human nature), leadership does not do a good enough job deciding on a short list of attainable objectives (three-to-five-year strategic goals) and one-year projects (initiatives) that lead to achieving the objectives.
Therefore, the strategy is not communicated to the entire organization (misalignment), and ultimately there is very little accountability with regard to working on these goals and projects. Many business leaders and managers have sat through strategic-planning sessions – agreed on what direction their organization should take, got pumped about their business for a few hours, and received a fancy binder with some very important strategic documents.
The next day when they get back to their regular daily job duties, the rat race picks up from where it left off – doing the busy work (tactical) of operating the company and unintentionally ignoring the strategic work.
One of the many challenges of executing strategy is changing behavior. Executing strategy requires a rather large commitment by senior management to change the organization’s behavior. By doing so, business leaders can go back to that binder with the strategic documents and develop their goals by assigning responsibility, defining measures and targets, and deciding on projects that really become one year change initiatives. Another challenge is the lack of accountability. We all know how difficult it is to improve anything we do without some type of coaching. The most successful athletes engage with a coach to work with for improvement, accountability and ultimately achievement of their goals. Self -eadership requires support and coaching.
While most business leaders are familiar with the challenge of executing strategy, some may not be as aware of this issue. One easy exercise for organizations is to formally (or informally) survey the senior managers as well as all of the employees and ask if they know what the company’s strategy is and what the short and long term goals are. This may be an eye-opener for business leaders because they are likely to find out that most of their employees know nothing about their organization’s strategy or goals.
If an organization is not communicating their strategy, then how can they be executing it? If an organization does not have a defined process (goals, initiatives, measures, targets, accountability, etc.) then it is unlikely they are even close to executing strategy.
If an organization is committed to strategy execution, then they should at least consider an engagement with a business coach trained specifically in strategy execution. A company located in Findlay, Ohio has developed a methodology for strategy execution. One of the components of their program is working with a certified (in the Six Disciplines methodology) business coach.
One example of both the challenge and solution is a Six Disciplines client, a manufacturer, who decided to engage with a Six Disciplines coach to lead them through a strategic-planning process that helped identify where the company was, where the leadership wanted to take the company, and how to achieve their goals. The Six Disciplines software and methodology is the day-to-day tool that this company uses to improve the effectiveness of their goal setting, level of communication and measure progress against the goals. Six Disciplines introduced a new way to think about operating and changing a business by focusing on the following:
• Discipline I – Decide what’s important.
• Discipline II – Set goals that lead.
• Discipline III – Align systems.
• Discipline IV – Work the plan.
• Discipline V – Innovate purposefully.
• Discipline VI – Step back.
This company has recognized the following benefits from using Six Disciplines:
• Significant time savings.
• Improved focus.
• Improved operational consistency – developed standard operating procedures in all departments.
• Continuing improvements in customer service levels.
• Improved communication between sales and operations that has resulted in enhanced management of materials and works in process.
• Sales increased over one year during a recessionary period.
• An enthused group of associates, whose positive influence is beginning to filter through the rest of the company, supported by the leadership team.
Maintaining the proper balance between strategy and execution is a difficult challenge. Organizational leaders that choose to address this challenge should know that many quality programs are available, one of which is the Six Disciplines methodology.
One of Six Disciplines’ old mantras used to be “Strategy Execution – every person, every day” – now that’s commitment. •