Can't pull the trigger if you can't find it...

The thought prevailing most in my head today is execution (before you send in my writing to the blog police, I am not not referring to the electric chair - I am talking about the "art" of getting things done). I have heard this phrase over and over in my career - "execution is the art of getting things done". The last time I checked art had little to do with getting things done in the work place. As a matter of fact, most inefective leaders I have seen over the years execute about as well as a ballerina in a mosh pit (did I just age myself with that statement?). I am not just talking about going to work and getting your work done, checking off your personal list, and then going home with the thought "whew! I got my work done - I live yet another day"... I am referring to executing plans that change organizations, teams, and individuals. Being able to amoebically challenge and move your business into the future in a way that is going to be profitable, focus on "customer-back" improvements to service delivery, and drive a feeling of satisfaction to those folks that keep the ship afloat day in and day out.


Where the mark is missed most time is in effective planning. During my career life I have seen several, okay - hundreds, of best laid plans that were poorly executed and resulted in less than desireable outcomes. I have to admit, that I have done this also. Intentions are only good if they fuel the action required to execute. So, how does this work. How do you engage people to jump on board and row in the same way to get you across the sea of change?


It is comprised of well thought out plans, learning before you teach, sharing vision that allows people to understand why change is needed, awakening them to the fact change is coming, allowing them to engage in envisioning what change will look like, and then re-architecting, or executing, the change. So many times large ideas are put in place by those in the decision making realms (I always say it is better to be the person making the decisions, rather than being the person living by decisions made - but I just like to be in charge), and then the shotgun approach to execution causes an organization, and individuals, to try to keep up to the changes taking place, without understand what triggered the thinking, why we are changing, and everyone asks the same question, "why didn't they ask me about this - I could have told them what we needed to do". Remember that critics are cheap and plentiful, and chances are, if you don't include them in the take-off they won't want to be included in the crash...


There is so much to cover when it comes to visioning and execution. The first piece I will tackle here is the "art" of identifying triggers. Triggers for change are usually outputs noticed by someone in the organization that causes them to say "hey, that's not the way it should be...", thus, with that one simple phrase a trigger is born. It could be lower than budgeted margins, lower than desired customer satisfaction scores, external competition is driving increased demand for better engineering/design/marketing/etc., less ball-bearings coming from the line than what the supplier needs, employee morale seems down, and there are a million other outputs that become triggers.

Remember, outputs are what you get from your processes - the act of selling yeilds $$s and movement of product, customer touch points yield satisfaction results, and the list goes on. Outputs are usually the trigger for change, but hold on - it's not time to act because you found a trigger. Just like a good game of Clue, you have to ask questions to see if Colonel Mustard really did kill Ms. Peacock with the candlestick in the billiard room... In business you have to ask "what process caused this to happen" and "what are the inputs to that process"?


Being able to articulate a "trigger" is the first step to successful execution. Sometimes that means digging to root cause (whole other topic in itself) to see what is really going on. Pulling out the "why" shovel and digging into data is the quickest way to diagnose a trigger to see if there is need for change. So, go on a trigger hunt in your company. Find a reason for change, and then put it on paper. One very strong leader I worked with always told me, "if it is not on paper it doesn't exist".

Enough for now - I am sure that was alot to absorb. So, when you are bored and need a good "night cap" to put you at rest, read through this again... ;o) See you on the left...