How to avoid execution

Much has been written about the execution gap: Too many good intentions never get implemented.

Estimates and several studies show that up to 80% of strategies remain unexecuted. Even if you lower this number, there is a tremendous amount of unexecuted strategies and plans created in leadership teams around the globe. What is the reason?

In many organizations, leaders and managers receive more rewards for strategies and plans than for successful execution. This culture leads to an increasing number of strategies and plans with little to no execution.

Here are some tips for leaders who do NOT want their plans to be executed:

• You prepare a strategy document in fifty pages, cluttered and packed with details. If execution fails (and it likely will), you can blame your colleagues for failure.

• You put impressive-sounding personal objectives, such as “more collaboration,” “teamwork,” and the like in your performance management plans. Yet, nobody helps the staff really execute this. Nobody really measures the success. It is like wanting to construct a building, but not providing the instructions on “how to do it.”

• You are always too busy creating your next plans to improve your and your staff’s execution capabilities. No time for instructions!

As a leader, you have a choice:

Reduce planning exercises, PowerPoints, and talks.

Improve execution, work on clear instructions, and answer the question, “How?” Be generous in sourcing and providing help, sometimes externally.

Monday morning task:

Estimate how much time you spend on planning, reporting, PowerPoints and the like. Reduce the number of hours by half. Invest the released time in executing the planned changes or in helping your people turn the plans into reality.

_________________________________________

This post is from our Friday noon memo #116. Interested in regular updates? Sign up here.
© Copyright by New Pace Consulting SA, 2011. All rights reserved.