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.
Its 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 agencys 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
Goals
Goals
Achieved
With
Excellence

23

410

1120

23

12

A leader who says Ive got

ten priorities doesnt know
what he is talking about. He
doesnt know himself what
the most important things
are. Youve 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
Important
Goals

_______________

Tasks /
Activities
Who?_____________

_______________

What Different?

_______________

__________________

What is the most

important goal of the
business unit?

Execution

__________________

Model

Not yet

Never

__________________
__________________
__________________
Is there a group of people that have to
learn something new or do something
different, in order for you to be
successful?

What % models this behavior?

What % need to, in order for you
to achieve your WIG

Ritz-Carlton

Strategic Bet

Wildly
Important
Goals
100% Guest
Retention

Execution Bet

Tasks /
Activities

Execution

Who: (Group) House Keeping

What: (Do Different)
1.

Gather information on

80

individual preferences

20
___%

60
___%

20
___%

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 /
Activities

What a Leader
needs to Know

Execution
Principles Process

What a
Leader
needs to Do

W.I.G.S.

Execution

Tasks /
Activities

Principles
Gauge Process
Process
Clarity
Commitment
Translation
Discipline
Enabling
Trust
Collaboration
Accountability

8 Principles of Execution

Focus

Synergy

8 Principles of Execution
Clarity

Focus

1. Do they know whats most Important

Commitment
Translation
Discipline
Enabling

Synergy

Collaboration
Trust
Accountability

Lack of Clarity

8 Principles of Execution
Clarity

Focus

1. Do they know whats most Important

2. Do they want to do it?

Commitment
Translation

3. Do they know how to do it?

Discipline

4. Do they sustain the course?

5. Do they work together?

Enabling

Synergy

Collaboration
Trust
Accountability

xQ Results
1.

Do people know what to do? 44% of employees say they dont know their
companys highest priorities

2.

Do they want to do it? Only 19% feel a strong sense of commitment to the
companys 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 organizations 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 dont face reality
very well . . . thats the basic reason
they cant execute.
(Ram Charan, Execution, pg. 22)

XQ51 (National Averages)

Focus

Clarity 52
Commitment 52
Translation 43
Discipline 65

Synergy

Enabling 32
Collaboration 49
Trust 59
Accountability 57

Cortez Example 1st Survey

XQ

34

(First XQ Survey)
4/02

Focus 35

Synergy 33

National Ave.

Clarity
Commitment
Translation
Discipline

24
39
19
61

52

Enabling
Collaboration
Trust
Accountability

31
39
30
34

32

52
43
65

49
59
57

Cortez Example 2nd Survey

XQ

59

(Second XQ Survey)
4/02

Focus 61

Synergy 56

Clarity
Commitment
Translation
Discipline

24

Enabling
Collaboration
Trust
Accountability

31

39
19
61

39
30
34

10/02

51
41
61
65
31
59
69
66

Delivering Results as a
Principle-Centered Leader
Execution: The Leadership
Challenge of the 21st Century

Other
Approaches?

W.I.G.s

Tasks /
Activities

What a Leader
needs to Know

Execution
Principles Process

What a
Leader
needs to Do

W.I.G.S.

Execution

Tasks /
Activities

Principles
Gauge Process
Process
Clarity
Commitment
Translation
Discipline
Enabling
Trust
Collaboration
Accountability

xQ

Execution
Quotient

The Focus & Execute Gap:

Execution is a systematic way of
exposing reality and acting on it.
Most organizations dont face reality
very well . . . thats the basic reason
they cant execute.
(Ram Charan, Execution, pg. 22)

Process
Wildly
Important
Goals

Tasks /
Activities

Execution:
The 4 Disciplines
of HighPerforming
Teams

Execution
Principles Process

1. Focus W.I.G.s

1. Focus on the Wigs

Humans beings are genetically

hard wired to focus on one
thing at a time with excellence

Process
Wildly
Important
Goals

Tasks /
Activities

Execution:
The 4 Disciplines
of HighPerforming
Teams

Execution
Execution
Principles Process

1. Focus W.I.G.s
2. Build Measures

2. Build the Measures

There is no such thing as a

clear goal without a
measure.

Process
Wildly
Important
Goals

Tasks /
Activities

Execution:
The 4 Disciplines
of HighPerforming
Teams

Execution
Principles Process

1. Focus W.I.G.s
2. Build Measures
3. Translate to Action

3. Translate into Action

New goals youve never

achieved before require new
behaviors youve never
done before

Process
Wildly
Important
Goals

Tasks /
Activities

Execution:
The 4 Disciplines
of HighPerforming
Teams

Execution
Principles Process

1. Focus W.I.G.s
2. Build Measures
3. Translate to Action
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
Important
Goals

Tasks /
Activities

Execution:
The 4 Disciplines
of HighPerforming
Teams

Execution
Principles Process

1. Focus W.I.G.s Qtr / Yr

2. Build Measures Qtr / Yr
3. Translate to Action Wk
4. Report the Results Wk

The Process

Wildly
Important
Goals

Tasks /
Activities

Execution:
The 4 Disciplines
of HighPerforming
Teams

Execution
Principles Process

1. Focus W.I.G.s Qtr / Yr

2. Build Measures Qtr / Yr
3. Translate to Action Wk
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 deckplate (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