There is no doubt that you as a business owner/CEO must ensure that decisions get made. I am sure you feel like there is a never-ending flow of decisions and you likely anticipated that as “part of the job.”
What happens after “the decision is made.” Who brings those decisions to life? I am writing to drive home the point that you, the CEO and/or business owner, are the sole “buck stops here” leader that must shape how you lead specifically to ensure decisions and plans turn into consistent and effective execution.
Sam Reese, the CEO of Vistage says, “Leadership is the art of Execution.” Indeed, you make decisions every day on the “way” you lead – both in terms of what you do and how you do it. That is the art form you must consciously consider to “get things done.” In life, we sometimes here the expression that one must “walk the walk” and not just “talk the talk.” In business, if you cannot execute, you are simply “talking the talk.” Where is your strength as a leader – making decisions or execution? Are you an execution enabler or an execution bottleneck?
Leadership is Getting Things Done
An effective CEO/business owner must learn how to translate any vision and plans into actions and achievement of goals. You learn the art of communication, managing talent, connecting with customers, optimizing operations, and managing the financial indicators in your business. You keep things moving forward. You cannot allow bottlenecks (and YOU cannot be the bottleneck).
Lifelong Learning on Leading Execution
That challenge has been on my mind and I am writing for two reasons. First, to put it out there – that you as the CEO/Business Owner need to take ownership of execution. You need to own your own productivity/execution and own the leadership of execution in your business. So I said that.
The second reason to write is to provide you some initial resources to start what you will find as a lifelong learning of the art of leading execution. This is a not a new concept and you can find many resources. I have provided a few that might interest you here to get you started.
Additional Reading
Related Articles
Guy Kawasaki on The Art of Execution
The former notable executive at Motorola, Google, and Apple wrote this brief, but inspiring and informative article on execution back in 2007 and it is still worth the read.
The New CEO: Chief “Execution” Officer
A short LinkedIn post that provides a quick look at the key building blocks required to create an environment where you can manage execution.
Execution: The Art of Getting Things Done
Short article posted at OnStrategy that offers you four “to do” items for creating flawless execution.
The Art of Execution: How Can We Make Things Happen?
Another excellent read on the fundamentals to keep in mind when you set out to create an environment that fosters execution.
Introduction to Related Books
The 5 Choices; The Path to Extraordinary Productivity (link to Amazon store)
This book is authored by researchers and consultants at FranklinCovey at starts at the very heart of execution – you! This is about personal and professional productivity and will address the overwhelming stress that seems to infiltrate business ownership today (so many tasks, so little time). This is a basic time/task management primer.
The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving your Wildly Important Goals (link to Amazon store)
This is another book from the FranklinCovey research and consultant group. The focus here is on business execution and definitely brings focus to the idea of your “Wildly Important Goals,” making the needed distinction between other goals and even distractions within your business.
Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done (link to Amazon store)
Former General Electric and Allied Signal CEO Larry Bossidy along with co-author Ram Charan deliver this well-received book focus simply on getting things done! What does it take to get things done? They walk you through the what leadership is required and also real-world “fails” at leading execution.
