We all love stories. We especially love true stories, particularly when they teach or reinforce an important principle. I’d like to share one such story with you from a recent client session.
The leaders of this business are visionary and have created a disciplined company with which I have had the pleasure of working for years. Put simply, they get strategy execution, and they do it very well. Their CEO told me how he recently participated on a panel at a national gathering of executives from their industry. 2009 saw the first time in twenty years that this industry did not grown, yet this particular business client continues to enjoy strong growth. The other CEOs asked my client, “How are you doing what you’re doing?”
In response, he explained the importance of a quarterly meeting rhythm to his company’s strategy execution. Their strategies used to get lost in binders on the shelf, but since they’ve focused on a quarterly strategy calibration, they’re actually getting things done. He grinned as he told me how the audience was impressed with this “new idea.”
Of course, it’s not a “new idea.” It’s an age-old principle that seems too simple to be effective. But it is effective, and it’s fundamental to a culture of strategy execution. It’s too bad that more CEOs don’t engage their executive teams in this discipline. How much effort is wasted each year by excitedly drawing up strategic plans only to lose them in big binders, rarely reviewing them – much less implementing them?
Learn more about implementing a quarterly rhythm in your organization and download a free guide to creating a culture of strategy execution.
Reminders of simple, practical disciplines for leaders who strive to build great organizations.
