Execution, by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan - Book Study
Session 1- Introduction and Chapter 1

The emphasis in the first session, covering the Introduction and Chapter 1 focused on discussing the 3 core processes mentioned in the book:  People, Strategy, and Budgeting/Operations and the role of the leader in each of those processes.  The authors state that often leadership views execution as something to be delegated, which is the case, in their opinion for the lackluster performance of many organizations and the ousting of many leaders.    Bossidy and Charan state that lack of execution is the single biggest obstacle to success most of the time and that one of the Leaders major roles is to instill and practice a culture of execution.

Questions: 

1. Have you ever experienced the effects of a lack of execution from leadership and what effect did that have on you personally and the organization?
2. Discuss the significance of the Leader’s investment in picking the right people, setting (and communicating) the strategic direction, and involvement in operations.  How balanced are these from your previous experience and where do you personally need to focus for improvement?
3. What is MBWA and why is it important – how does it contribute to a culture of execution?

I have read a number of books and articles on "how to succeed," and "what does success really mean."  Of course anyone can say how they believe true success should be defined, and just as often they are glad to tell you what success is, or should be for your life.  I think I've been that fount of questionable wisdom myself in the past.  Here are some things I think I have learned.

1. You can define success any way you like, but there are always external measures which will be used to gauge your progress.  Even if you choose to ignore these measures someone will apply them and force them upon your awareness.  Rare is the individual, apart for what we want to believe, who sets their own standards and cares not for the opinion of at least one other person.  Generally these individuals wind up turning out to be sociopaths, or artists (including musicians), or both.
2. Therefore, success is pretty much pre-defined in almost every aspect of our lives, within broad parameters.  This goes for work, marriage, parenting, and even our participation, or lack thereof, in organized religion.
3. As it turns out this is not necessarily bad.  The bad part is not recognizing this and continually attempting to create one's own definition of success which denies this reality.  Few can do this with equanimity and those who are able to find some peace usually have loved ones who, at the very least, don't understand and at the worst suffer from the attempt to reconcile two different worlds.  I'm thinking here of the spouse or children of such an individual and the conflict this disparity will inevitability bring.  Conflict might be too mild a term.
4. The broad parameters in which success is defined in any area of life, while bounded by rather firm, if permeable, boundaries allows the illusion of self-determination which is necessary for individualization and productivity that contributes to well being, both mental and physical.
5. That being said, the identification of what constitutes success for me in any area has a clear measurement.  I may blithely ignore any attempt at defining these measures and so wander haphazardly through life, or, I can give thought and energy to setting the standard to which I will strive and give due effort in its accomplishment.  Depending upon my personality either avenue may give me peace or anxiety.
6. I am of the personality which finds peace and fulfillment in setting the standards, making the vows, and working toward their accomplishment.  I feel this is fortunate since, especially in the world of work and business, that tendency is better rewarded than the other, more casual approach, however, it does not insure any more peace and may actually contribute to an unhealthy focus on doing instead of being, if one is not careful.

So, why include this commentary in a blog about leadership?  Because a leader should, I think, recognize that those they lead may not always understand success as they do, and thus their motives in following should be considered as part of the overall strategy.

Beginning April 20 I will be leading a book study on the book: Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done.  Any of the editions available will serve for the purposes of this study.  This book was originally published in 2002 and updated in 2009.  The book study will be conducted in live sessions for employees of NAU and through this blog for any who cannot attend the live session, whether NAU employee or not.  I will post a summary of the discussions and pose a question or two to which anyone reading along may respond.  Hopefully this will be beneficial in prompting new thoughts and even, dare I say it, execution.

According to the authors, Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan, "Execution is the great unaddressed issue in the business world today.  Its absence is the single biggest obstacle to success and the cause of most of the disappointments that are mistakenly attributed to other causes." p.5  Although this sentence was written in 2002, now ten years later, I still perceive this single factor to be the major culprit in the lack businesses and institutions of higher education achieving the results of the strategic plans so carefully worked out.

For April 20 we will be looking at the introduction and the first chapter.  I you want to follow along, click the "subscribe to" link for either just the posts or the posts and the comments.  Keep in mind I will be making other posts related to leadership issues between the book study posts, unfortunately you can't subscribe to one and not the other.

Order you book now and start reading.

I have in my closet a plastic storage bin which started it's life as a CD storage box.  It has now become storage for a myriad of cables which have some computer or audio function.  When the cables were initially placed in the box they were all neatly coiled, but over time, and my rummaging through the box, well, let's just say neat is not the right word to describe the contents of the box. 

Lately I've been thinking about self-confidence and its place in leadership.  As I've contemplated this my mind turns to my box of cables and I see a connection (ha!).  Without self-confidence there can be no leadership and the level of leadership rises with self-confidence until the self-confidence turns to hubris, or excessive pride (c.f. Collins' book "How the Mighty Fall" for a good discussion on hubris).  In other words there is a complex intertwining of self-confidence with the function of leadership.

Unless I have some belief in my own decisions, opinions, or ability, I will not do or say anything which might incur ridicule or attack.  However, should I gain some confidence in my ability or knowledge, or opinion in any area I might take the risk of expressing myself.  How that is received can have a profound impact on my development as a leader.  If well received, I may grow more confident and more bold in my expression, eventually developing into a leader, if not well received, I will likely withdraw.

Now, if all this is true, then I have the power of fostering or squashing leadership, and that too comes from my own level self-confidence or the the excess of hubris.  Unfortunately those whose lives are examples of excessive pride rarely perceive their flaw and damage both organizations and people without regard.

I will think about this some more and post on this subject another time.

I had the opportunity to attend the 2012 annual conference for ACCESS this past week in Columbia, South Carolina.  ACCESS is a national Christian distance education association, primarily composed of Christian institutions of higher education (colleges and universities), with some mission organizations and even a few working in secondary education.  The conference was hosted by Columbia International University.

Each time I attend this or any conference I am reminded of the great benefit of coming together with other individuals looking to expand their knowledge and competency.  In between conferences I start to get busy and begin to think, "do I really have time to take out of my VERY busy schedule to attend a conference where they will be talking about stuff I already am doing?"  But every time when I make the effort, and spend the money, to go I am richly rewarded.  One of those rewards comes through the various sessions.  Admittedly some are stronger than others, but if I approach each with an open mind, an amazing thing begins to happen; my mind begins to free-associate the comments from the presenter with my current needs, sometimes not even on the same subject, and I am all-of-a-sudden writing like crazy, making notes of ideas and links which could be game-changers.  Another reward is the networking which takes place and the very real friendships that can form over a period of years.  Some of my best friends have come from these conferences.  Relationships and networking are more important than ever and I make every opportunity to build bridges at these conferences, never knowing how God might use a simple conversation to open an exciting opportunity.  Another reward comes when I push myself to make a proposal and present at the conference.  Usually the presentation lasts from 45-90 minutes.  The benefit from this comes in at least two ways.  First, presenting forces me to organize my thoughts on a specific subject and to clearly articulate what and why and how so that others may take away something from the experience.  The other benefit is the opportunity to position yourself as a leader in your field.  This is part of becoming a leader.

Conclusion:  Go to a conference!  Find one with a topic which interests you, if possible make a proposal to present at the conference, and then go.  When you come back with a new thought and possibly a new friend, you and your work will benefit.