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June 27, 2016

10 simple ways to make your business plan execution great


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10 proven ways to make your business plan execution great.

Amazing results don’t come from the eloquence of your plan; successful performance depends on how well you execute.

Most organizations are challenged to execute well; these rules will help turn your “brave idea” - theory - into a “crude deed” - practice.

Rule #1 — Loosen up on strategy development (get your strategy just about right) and tighten up on strategy implementation.

You can’t execute if you spend all of your time trying to perfect your plan. Every hour you spend trying to fine tune your direction reduces your ability to get anything done.
Spend the extra time you would normally spend on your plan on detailing what has to be done to “breathe life” into your strategy.

Rule #2 — Don’t repeat the same mistake twice. Learn what works and what doesn’t work from your execution tactics.

Rule #3 — Don’t try to boil the ocean in terms of the projects and tactics you undertake. Focus on the critical few things that will achieve 80% of your strategic goal and do them well.

Rule #4 — Stay focused on the direction you have chosen. Avoid getting sucked in to Yummy Incoming: the over-the-transom work that comes to you and is a distraction but is not on strategy. t’s fun to chase Yummy, but progress eludes you when you do.

Rule #5Cut the Crap. You can’t execute if there are internal barriers in the way. And if you are busy with activity which may have been important in the past, but is no longer relevant. Cleanse your environment of the non-strategic!

Rule #6 — Ship lot’s of imperfection fast. Be ok with no getting it exactly right; chasing perfection is a waste of time and prevents you from getting anything done.

Rule #7 — Use what you learn from execution to inform your next steps. Don’t take your next step without incorporating what you’ve learned from your last step.

Rule #8 — Get every function - marketing, sales service, operations etc. - in the organization to determine the critical three things they must do to achieve the top 3 organizational priorities. Make this task non-negotiable. If every department in your organization doesn’t have direct line of sight to your overall strategy, people will tend to march to their own drummer and effective execution doesn’t happen.

Rule #9 — Build execution deliverables into every employee’s annual performance plan. If you don’t make it a personal matter to every individual, it won’t get done.

Rule #10 — You need a voice for execution - The Strategy Hawk - in an organization to ride herd on execution. To monitor progress. To kick ass when things are not proceeding as planned.

Build execution as a core competency of your organization and you will definitely stand out from the herd.

Cheers,
Roy
Check out my BE DiFFERENT or be dead Book Series

  • Posted 6.27.16 at 04:58 am by Roy Osing
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