Achieving Execution Excellence (like every other type of excellence) requires repeating the same basic steps repeatedly until the practice becomes perfect.
Execution Excellence method offers three general steps you can apply to any business (size function, size, and culture) in any industry and using any strategy.
Let's look at what we need to accomplish in each step and how this will transform not just your execution processes but the culture of your business.
1. Goals
When you make goals, you establish the direction. Every successful transformation begins with a clear goal in your mind. We assume you've had a (strategy) procedure to define crucial goals and objectives. Now is the time to carry out the plan. Once you have set goals and objectives, you must create specific Lead Measures that directly connect to your goal. Lead measures can be adapted and modified if they don't have the desired impact on the goals.
Once a group is certain of its lead measures, its perception of the objective shifts.
A lag measure informs you whether you've reached the objective, while a lead measure informs that you're more likely to meet your objective.
Whatever you're striving to accomplish, the likelihood of success depends on two different metrics: Lead and Lag. Lag measures measure the accomplishment of your most important objective. They are measures that you are spending sleeping on. They refer to things like profit, revenue quality, as well as the satisfaction of customers. They're called lags because when you first notice them, the performance that triggered them has already been achieved. There is nothing you can do to correct them, that is history.
Lead measures are used to track the crucial processes that contribute to the lag measurement. They can predict the success of the lag measurement and are directly influenced by the team. A good illustration of a lagged measurement can be weight loss. Which lead measures or activities can lead to weight loss? Exercise and diet! The right diet and exercise will determine the results of weight loss.
Additionally, they're activities that we can directly influence. Easy enough but be cautious to keep your most intelligent people from falling into the trap of focusing on a measure of lag they cannot influence directly. This is due to lags being simpler to gauge and being the outcome we desire. Instead, consider a lead measure as a lever to move the direction of your wildly important goal.
2. Plan
When you have your goals for the business and the lead measures clearly defined, you must translate them into an action plan that includes milestones, initiatives and actions carried out throughout the company. Getting the support needed for initiatives to achieve the goals is crucial to ensure there is no rift between the agenda of the leader and the actual actions. Moving action plans to their original home in Action Planner (instead of using spreadsheets and presentations) allows plans to communicate via notifications and reminders. You also motivate your team each week, if not even daily.
3. Review
Once the plan is put into motion, leaders should follow it up with a weekly review.
Teams and players perform differently when they are keeping track of their scores. A good scoreboard will encourage players to succeed. People play differently when they keep track of their scores. If you need more convincing, look at a group of young basketball players. Check out how the game changes as time passes and scorekeeping begins.
The lead and lag measurements will only be useful for players if they can observe the progress in real-time. Bowling behind a curtain is less enjoyable. People are most effective when they're emotionally involved, and the highest degree of engagement is when people can tell if they're winning or losing.
The best scoreboards are made by and are often designed for the players. A scoreboard for a player is different from the elaborate scoreboards that coaches are known to create.
To help the entire execution process transform into a digital process, take advantage of existing platforms, such as profit.co, which helps maintaining a convincing scorecard and act as a collaborative tool, facilitating discussions on roadblocks, obstacles, and challenges about lead measures in particular, which includes both negative and positive impact on the achievement of goals.
About the Author
Dr. Parthiban Vijay Raghavan is an expert in solving an organization's complex problems through accurate diagnosis, designing, innovation, agility, and execution excellence. He is also expertise in Decision Making Process, Leadership Communication, OD, Learning Strategies, and implementation, He is a Certified OB/OD Professional.