In the mid-1990’s, a friend told Jack Welch, General Electric CEO, about a new methodology for making a quantum increase in inventory turns in manufacturing operations. GE could generate cash if it could increase its inventory turnover. The leading practitioner of this idea was American Standard which had achieved 40 inventory turns compared to the average of 4 at most companies.

Welch didn’t just try to get the concept or send his people to investigate. He made the trip personally to meet American Standard employees and learn the process of how to overcome resistance in implementing the new methodology.

By involving himself personally and deeply with the subject, Welch was able to get the necessary changes rolling quickly at GE. Jack Welch was a leader that made execution his highest priority.

Execution is the major job of a business leader.  It is a discipline that happens through personal involvement. It’s a systematic process of rigorously discussing the “hows” and “whats”, tenaciously following-up and ensuring accountability. It’s not enough to make your mark as a high-level thinker who is not interested or involved in the “how” of getting things done. As leaders, our job is to transform the vision into measurable tasks, to involve people in the shaping of the strategic plan, to set milestones for progress and to put contingency plans in place for unexpected issues.

Unfiltered Information

The major challenge we face today is that by the time information reaches us it has been filtered into reports designed to present others’ perceptions and agendas. The higher we are in the corporate ladder the more filtered the information we receive. The more filtered information that we use, the further we are from reality.

We must insist on realism. Many organizations are full of people who try to avoid reality. Reality is uncomfortable and often reveals mistakes. Realism is at the heart of execution. Make it a priority.

To get in touch with reality through direct access to data, one needs to bypass corporate data gate keepers, perception managers, “gut feeling” wizards and other information manipulators. If you are an aspiring leader, using “hands on” information will reward you consistently. Business Intelligence Tools crunch mountains of data in seconds and organize it into simple information. I have been asked, many times, “Why do your waste your time crunching data when you have staff to do it?”  My reply? “The reality is viewed differently through different glasses”.  Note that analyzing for yourself the raw data is especially important when a critical decision has to be made or when you feel the information you have received has been filtered, manipulated or analyzed subjectively (often the case!).   

Follow Through and Follow-Up

“New age” leadership advisors suggest that we set up goals and objectives and follow-up after execution.  Been there, done that. It did not work well. Each stage of execution faces challenges. If challenges are not identified as they occur and appear only at follow up, it’s too late. Deadlines are missed, dependent projects are slowed and costs begin to skyrocket. 

Don’t follow-up after. Follow through during. Teams need guidance throughout the execution process. Many challenges are overcome through collaboration. We can surface conflicts that stand in the way and resolve them before it is too late.

Create mechanisms for following through, such as status meetings, task lists, clear ownership of tasks and time tables. Smaller tasks are better than bigger tasks. Simple tasks are easier than complicated ones.

Execution is KEY to success. Get your hands-on unfiltered information, implement follow through and follow-up mechanisms to turn goals into results.