Delivering Results as a
Principle-Centered Leader
Execution: The Leadership
Challenge of the 21st Century
The Challenge: Ability to Execute
“Leadership without the discipline of
execution is incomplete and ineffective.
Without the ability to execute all other
attributes of leadership become hollow”
— Larry Bossidy Chairman, Honeywell
International
Business Plans--Execution
#1 REASON WHY LEADERS FAIL?
70% of strategic failures are due to poor
execution of leadership. …
It’s rarely for lack
of smarts
or vision.
Source: Charan, R. and
Colvin, G. “Why CEOs
Fail”, Fortune, June 21,
1999.
Ram Charan
McKinsey & Company
HarrisInteractive SM
Agenda
1. Leadership and Execution
2. Identify your agency‟s “Execution Challenge”
3. Research on root-cause break downs in
execution.
4. What a Leader Needs to Know (The Principles
of Execution)
5. What a Leader Needs to Do (The Process for
Executing)
WILDLY IMPORTANT
important adj. 1: meaning a great deal; having
significance, value
wildly important adj. 1: of visionary and
strategic import; carrying serious economic
consequence; potential for unbelievable satisfaction
of key stakeholders; causing intense excitement and
enthusiasm
THE POWER OF FOCUS
Number of 2–3 4–10 11–20
Goals
Goals
Achieved
2–3 1–2 0
With
Excellence
A leader who say’s “I’ve got ten
priorities” doesn’t know what he
is talking about. He doesn’t
know himself what the most
important things are. You’ve got
to have these few, clearly
realistic goals and priorities…
Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan, Execution: The Discipline of
Getting Things Done, New York: Crown Business, 2002
Execution Challenge
W.I.G.s
Wildly Tasks / Execution
Important Activities
Goals
Who?_____________
_______________
_______________ What Different?
_______________ __________________
Model Not yet Never
__________________
What is the most
important goal of the __________________
business unit?
__________________
What % models this behavior?
__________________ What % need to, in order for you
to achieve your WIG
Is there a group of people that have to
learn something new or do something
different, in order for you to be
successful?
Ritz-Carlton
3
1 Strategic Bet 2 Execution Bet
Wildly
Tasks /
Important
Goals
Activities Execution
100% Guest Who: (Group) House Keeping
Retention
What: (Do Different)…
80
1. Gather information on
20
___% 60
___% 20
___%
individual preferences
2. Converse with guests Model Not yet Never
3. Input data into computer
system
?
Technical or Human
Process Buy – in
Plan Clarity
Tools Accountability
W.I.G.s Tasks / Execution
Activities
Principles Process
What a Leader What a
needs to Know Leader
needs to Do
W.I.G.S. Tasks / Execution
Activities
Gauge Process
PrinciplesProcess
Clarity
Commitment
Translation
Discipline
Enabling
Trust
Collaboration
Accountability
8 Principles of Execution
Focus
Synergy
8 Principles of Execution
Clarity 1. Do they know what‟s most Important
Commitment
Focus Translation
Discipline
Enabling
Collaboration
Synergy
Trust
Accountability
Lack of Clarity
8 Principles of Execution
Clarity 1. Do they know what‟s most Important
Commitment 2. Do they want to do it?
Focus Translation 3. Do they know how to do it?
Discipline 4. Do they sustain the course?
5. Do they work together?
Enabling
Collaboration
Synergy
Trust
Accountability
xQ Results
1. Do people know what to do? 44% of employees say they don’t know their
company’s highest priorities
2. Do they want to do it? Only 19% feel a strong sense of commitment to the
company’s goals
3. Do they know how to do it? 9% believe their work has a strong link to their
organizations top priorities
4. Do they have the discipline? People spend less than half their time (49%)
on activities linked to the organization’s key priorities
5. Do they work together? Only 31% feel they can express themselves
honestly and candidly at work
The Focus & Execute Gap:
“Execution is a systematic way of
exposing reality and acting on it.
Most organizations don’t face reality
very well . . . that’s the basic reason
they can’t execute.”
(Ram Charan, Execution, pg. 22)
XQ51 (National Averages)
Clarity 52
Commitment 52
Focus Translation 43
Discipline 65
Enabling 32
Collaboration 49
Synergy
Trust 59
Accountability 57
Cortez Example 1st Survey
XQ 34 (First XQ Survey)
4/02 National Ave.
Focus 35 Clarity 24 52
Commitment 39 52
Translation 19 43
Discipline 61 65
Synergy 33 Enabling 31 32
Collaboration 39 49
Trust 30 59
Accountability 34 57
3
Cortez Example 2nd Survey
XQ 59 (Second XQ Survey)
4/02 10/02
Focus 61 Clarity 24 51
Commitment 39 41
Translation 19 61
Discipline 61 65
Synergy 56 Enabling 31 31
Collaboration 39 59
Trust 30 69
Accountability 34 66
4
Delivering Results as a
Principle-Centered Leader
Execution: The Leadership
Challenge of the 21st Century
Other
Approaches?
W.I.G.s Tasks / Execution
Activities
Principles Process
What a Leader What a
needs to Know Leader
needs to Do
W.I.G.S. Tasks / Execution
Activities
Gauge Process
PrinciplesProcess
Clarity
Commitment
Translation
Discipline
Enabling
xQ
Execution
Trust Quotient
Collaboration
Accountability
The Focus & Execute Gap:
“Execution is a systematic way of
exposing reality and acting on it.
Most organizations don’t face reality
very well . . . that’s the basic reason
they can’t execute.”
(Ram Charan, Execution, pg. 22)
Process
Wildly Tasks / Execution
Important Activities
Goals
Principles Process
Execution: 1. Focus W.I.G.s
The 4 Disciplines of
High-Performing
Teams
1. Focus on the Wigs
Humans beings are genetically
hard wired to focus on one
thing at a time with excellence
Process
Wildly Tasks / Execution
Execution
Important Activities
Goals
Principles Process
Execution: 1. Focus W.I.G.s
The 4 Disciplines of 2. Build Measures
High-Performing
Teams
2. Build the Measures
There is no such thing as a
clear goal without a
measure.
Process
Wildly Tasks / Execution
Important Activities
Goals
Principles Process
Execution: 1. Focus W.I.G.s
The 4 Disciplines of 2. Build Measures
High-Performing 3. Translate to Action
Teams
3. Translate into Action
New goals you‟ve never
achieved before require new
behaviors you‟ve never
done before
Process
Wildly Tasks / Execution
Important Activities
Goals
Principles Process
Execution: 1. Focus W.I.G.s
The 4 Disciplines of 2. Build Measures
High-Performing 3. Translate to Action
Teams
4. Report the Results
4. Report Results
Individuals on high performance
teams do not tolerate
mediocrity, they hold
themselves and each other
accountable for results and
activities.
Wildly Tasks / Execution
Important Activities
Goals
Principles Process
Execution: 1. Focus W.I.G.s Qtr / Yr
The 4 Disciplines of 2. Build Measures Qtr / Yr
High-Performing 3. Translate to Action Wk
Teams
4. Report the Results Wk
The Process
Wildly Tasks / Execution
Important Activities
Goals
Principles Process
Execution: 1. Focus W.I.G.s Qtr / Yr
The 4 Disciplines of 2. Build Measures Qtr / Yr
High-Performing 3. Translate to Action Wk
Teams
4. Report the Results Wk
Herding Cats
Norfolk Naval Shipyard
• Norfolk is a 200+ year old shipyard,
• Largest in the world,
• Civilian, Military, and 8 Unions
• 8,000 people
Norfolk Naval Shipyard
• Handles every type of repair and
refueling
• Handles every type of ship in the
Navy
• Anytime… Anywhere…
Norfolk Naval Shipyard
Impact of Execution Disciplines over the last 5 years:
What they did?
1. Focused the leadership from 16 goals at a time to 5
- currently moving to 3
2. Took the five goals and translated them to the deck-
plate (front-line).
Norfolk Naval Shipyard
Impact of Execution Disciplines over the last 5 years:
What they did?
3. Built scoreboards in the shipyard, ship by ship
4. Defined performance standards and codes of
conduct, and put them "on the ground" from the
leadership team to the deck workers
Norfolk Naval Shipyard
Impact of Execution Disciplines over the last 5 years:
What they got?
1. Reduced cycle time on major maintenance
from roughly 27 months to 20
2. Minor maintenance from 14 months to 11
3. They went from a $16 mm operating loss to a
$40 mm profit (to return to the Navy) over the
five year period.
4. Union Grievances went from 60 a year to
virtually none
“This Execution Approach was „born‟ at
the shipyard at the demand of the
Shipyard Commander to be able to take a
specific goal and get it to the deck plate
(the front-line) very fast, very effectively,
and completely.
…He demanded it and we created it.
…That's the short story.”
-Jim Stuart, Franklin Covey