Execution: the Discipline of Getting Things Done

Being a longtime GE employee (albeit for over 15 years), I was interested in digging into this book, as it had been on my reading list for a while. It’s all about execution…and, as the authors discuss at length, I too have seen many great visions, plans, and opportunities fail to materialize due to a lack of effective execution.

The purpose of “Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done” is to dispel some myths or inaccurate thoughts about execution, and provide concepts and tools to improve results. Execution is not something that is done or not done. Execution is a specific set of behaviors and techniques that companies must master in order to gain a competitive advantage. It is a discipline in its own right.

What follows is a summary of some of the key points I took away from this book.

Many well-known and even presumably “good” companies, with smart CEOs, inspiring visions, and talented employees, routinely fail to deliver the promised results. When companies don’t deliver on their promises, the most common explanation is that the CEO’s strategy was wrong. But the strategy itself is often not the cause. Strategies most often fail because they are not executed well. Things that are supposed to happen don’t happen. Either organizations aren’t able to bring them to life, or business leaders misjudge the challenges their businesses face, or both. The promise-delivery gap is the gap between what a company’s management wants to achieve and the organization’s ability to achieve it. Execution is the missing link and as such should be the main task of an entrepreneur.

The authors argue that leaders place too much emphasis on strategizing, intellectualizing, or high-level philosophy, and not enough on implementation. A fundamental problem is that too many people view execution as the tactical side of the business, something that leaders delegate to others as they focus on perceived “more important” issues. Execution should be part of a company’s strategy and objectives. No valid strategy can be planned without considering the organization’s ability to execute it.

Execution is often thought of as doing things more efficiently, with more care, or with more attention to detail. To understand execution, you need to keep three key points in mind:

Execution is a discipline and an integral part of strategy.
Execution is the major job of the entrepreneur.
Execution should be central to an organization’s culture.
Most businesses don’t deal with reality very well, and in its most basic sense, execution is a systematic way of exposing reality and acting on it.

Core processes are intertwined and must be connected to day-to-day business realities by creating execution discipline around:

People
Strategy
Budgeting/Operations
The leader should be responsible for getting things done by performing the three basic processes: 1) selecting other leaders, 2) setting strategic direction, and 3) conducting operations. Executing companies pursue these core processes with rigor, intensity, and depth. But leading for execution isn’t about micromanaging or being “hands-on,” it’s about active involvement and doing the things leaders should be doing.

Let’s explore some of the key elements of these core processes:

People

Defines who will carry out the strategy. If you don’t master the people process, you will never realize the potential of your business.
Use leadership messages to guide culture, clarify goals and issues, and change employee attitudes.
Behaviors are beliefs turned into actions, and behaviors get results.
Focus on how people perform, not just results.
Coach others and help them learn to perform.
Hold people accountable and provide constant feedback on progress.
A big flaw is being retrospective; focused on evaluating the jobs people do today. Instead, focus on the ability of individuals to handle the jobs of tomorrow.
Strategy

Defines where the business wants to go.
Enterprise-level strategy is the vehicle for allocating resources across all business units…