Sustaining shared-view in seven areas of significance - part five - execution

Listen directly to the podcast version of this post here.

This is the fifth in a series of seven about arguably the most powerful philosophy that I work with my clients on. I call it shared-view.

In the workplace to be remarkable we need a shared-view in what I call seven areas of significance:  reality, possibility, purpose, strategy, execution, progress, and culture.

Today we're exploring execution.

Here's the Reality post and podcast.

Here's the Possibility post and podcast.

Here's the Purpose post and podcast.

Here's the Strategy post and podcast.

I’ll be referencing throughout this series a short paper that I published recently about shared-view which you can download here. There's also a designated page at my website where there's short videos on each of the seven.

Execution

I observe 3 major reasons why most strategies don’t get executed according to plan.

Number 1: The people responsible for executing strategy haven’t been involved in the creation of the strategy and therefore don’t understand it and/or don’t own it.

Number 2. Each employee doesn’t their own piece of the execution plan documented. 

Number 3. Once plans are documented they are not referenced frequently in ongoing conversations about performance.

I gave you an immediately implementable solution to number 1 in last Friday's podcast and blog post. Today our focus is on number 2 and 3.

Strategy is your compass. Execution is your map. And every employee needs their own piece of your map.

When I was a boy I was always fascinated to watch my Grandmother Ruby Sherriff making quilts.

She would have individual pieces all over her house and then one day she would magically stitch them all together.

Each piece individually crafted yet only in all it’s glory when stitched together.

When everyone's piece is stitched together you have your execution plan. Not a strategic plan, an execution plan. This is where many organisation suffer. They have a strategic plan not an execution plan.

The best way that I know of for employees to create their piece of your map is one page plans. I call them performance possibility plans. At the bottom of this page you can download a template, my own plan and a blank for you to get started.

The best format I’ve co-developed with my clients over the past 30 years is to use the seven areas of shared-view as headings for your one page plans.

Reality, Possibility, Purpose, Strategy, Execution, Progress and Culture all on just one page

Imagine all of your employees owning their piece of the execution plan that is a part of your giant quilt map.

You can begin today. Check out my plan and the template at the link and get started.

Then the key to success is to use people’s performance possibility plans (PPP's) to focus conversations about performance. Once you are in the habit of doing this you will soon see performance improvement regardless of how good your current performance may be.

Do Your Work.

Be remarkable.

Ian