DC Velocity - January 2010

BY ART VAN BODEGRAVEN AND
KENNETH B. ACKERMAN

getting it done

LET’S ACCEPT FOR THE MOMENT LARRY THE Cable Guy’s definition of execution: “Get ’er done.” That’s clear enough and would seem a fundamental part of business management.

Yet execution is one of the least addressed issues in the literature of management and leadership. That’s surprising, because here, as with most leadership issues, the example is set at the top. Whether the chief executive does a masterful job or flat out fails to execute, the template is likely to be followed all down the line.

Leaders who can consistently get organizations to
execute tend to share the following traits:

; They know themselves and are honest about their own strengths and weaknesses. At any level in the organization, self-assessment is a critical first step for team building. If financial analysis is not a personal strong point, it is essential that you identify and put a capable “numbers guy” on the team. (N.B.: “Guy” is a gender-neutral term.) If your writing skills are weak, add a writer. Knowing your weaknesses is important, but it is critical to also recognize your strengths in order to balance the contributions that all team members can make to the outcome, to successful execution.

; They know their people and have assessed their strengths and weaknesses. Building an organization (or a team) is an inexact science, and the biggest—and most common—management mistakes involve the selection of subordinates and team members who don’t pan out. While such mistakes are inevitable, the willingness to quickly correct them is essential for effective leadership and execution.

; They are realistic in setting goals that are both ambitious and attainable. The late Vince Lombardi stressed the concept of “second effort,” the ability of an athlete to accomplish that which appears, at first, to be impossible. In business, stretch goals require second effort for attainment. If not, they’re not really stretch goals. But real stretch goals do demand the ability to move beyond a comfort zone to reach the used-to-be unattainable.

There is a mission-critical difference between estab-
lishing stretch goals and setting unrealistic objectives
for the sake of appearing to continually and continu-

basictraining

ously improve. When people tumble to the fact that they are being asked to accomplish the impossible, for no good reason except the boss’s career, they often quit trying. In a distribution center, for example, it is unlikely that a goal of increasing shipping volume by orders of magnitude while maintaining zero errors and reducing headcount by a double-digit percentage will be reached. The frustration of failing to meet false stretch goals will drain energy from the management organization or from a project team.

; They set the example.

Follow-through is achieved through leadership by example. By setting an example as a person who gets things done, those around you will recognize that modeling your behavior can enhance their opportunities for success.

Creating a framework for execution
You can start the process of effective execution by
identifying and challenging old, destructive beliefs.

First, squash the idea that yours is a commodity business. Commodities have one significant thing in common—customers believe that price is the only differentiator between competitors. Many managers in the logistics service industries overemphasize pricing, based on a belief that they are selling a commodity. The best companies in most industries are those that develop and deliver “special magic,” a unique service or product that cannot be duplicated by the competition. Special magic is as much a mind-set as it is a reality. When you believe that your organization can create magical results for your customers, it is possible for the magic to become reality. More important, the customer will believe in the magic.