By following the 4 Disciplines of Execution, leaders can produce breakthrough results, with a significant change in behavior from their teams.
Summary
Title: 4 Disciplines of Execution
Author: Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, Jim Huling
Themes: Leadership, Management, Business, Agile, Software, Lean, Scrum
Year: 2015
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
ISBN: 150110554X, 9781501105548
Pages: 326
Do you remember the last major initiative you watched die in your organization?
Did it go down with a loud crash or was it slowly and quietly suffocated by other competing priorities?
By the time it finally disappeared, it’s likely no one even noticed. What happened?
The “whirlwind” of urgent activity required to keep things running day-to-day devoured all the time and energy you needed to invest in executing your strategy for tomorrow.
The 4 Disciplines of Execution can change all that forever: the authors suggest adopting the four disciplines.
These disciplines are to Focus on the Wildly Important; Act on Lead Measures; Keep a Compelling Scoreboard; Create a Cadence of Accountability. Through these disciplines, leaders can produce breakthrough results.
The 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX) is a simple, repeatable, and proven formula for executing your most important strategic priorities in the midst of the whirlwind.
4DX is not a theory. It is a proven set of practices that have been tested and refined by hundreds of organizations and thousands of teams over many years.
When a company or an individual adheres to these disciplines, they achieve superb results regardless of the goal.
According to the authors, 4DX represents a new way of thinking and working that is essential to thriving in today's competitive climate.
The authors suggest adopting the 4 Disciplines of Execution.
These disciplines are:
1. Focus on the Wildly Important - This discipline is about identifying the few goals that are truly critical to achieving success, and then focusing all of the team's efforts on those goals. The idea is to avoid spreading resources too thin by trying to achieve too many goals at once. Instead, by focusing on a few key objectives, teams can make real progress and achieve real results.
2. Act on Lead Measures - 80% of your results will come from 20% of your activities; are you focusing on the right ones? This discipline is about identifying the key activities or behaviors that drive progress toward achieving wildly important goals. It's about focusing on the things you can control, rather than outcomes, which you can't control. By measuring and tracking lead measures, teams can quickly adjust their actions and make course corrections as needed to achieve their goals.
3. Keep a Compelling Scoreboard - This discipline is about creating a way to track progress towards wildly important goals in a way that is simple, visual, and easy to understand. A compelling scoreboard helps to create a sense of accountability and urgency, and it makes it easy for team members to see how their actions are contributing to the overall success of the team.
4. Create a Cadence of Accountability - This discipline is about creating regular, structured check-ins to review progress, hold team members accountable for their actions, and make course corrections as needed. The idea is to create a rhythm of accountability that keeps the team focused on achieving its goals and ensures that everyone is working together towards a common purpose.
The path to implementing the 4 Disciplines of Execution typically involves several steps, including:
Identify the Wildly Important Goals: The first step is to identify the one or two goals that are most critical to the organization's success. These goals should be specific, measurable, and aligned with the organization's overall mission and strategy.
Identify Lead Measures: The next step is to identify the key activities or behaviors that will drive progress towards achieving the wildly important goals. These lead measures should be specific, measurable, and under the control of the team.
Create a Compelling Scoreboard: The third step is to create a simple, visual way to track progress towards the wildly important goals. The scoreboard should be easy to understand and should be prominently displayed so that everyone on the team can see it.
Create a Cadence of Accountability: The fourth step is to create a regular, structured check-in process to review progress, hold team members accountable, and make course corrections as needed. This should be a regular meeting where progress on the lead measures is reviewed and any necessary adjustments are made.
Establish a culture of accountability: The fifth step is to establish a culture of accountability where team members take ownership of their actions and are held responsible for achieving the wildly important goals. This can involve setting up a system of rewards and recognition for achieving goals, as well as clear consequences for failing to meet them.
Review and Adapt: It's important to regularly review the progress and adapt the approach as necessary. Regularly monitoring the progress, learning from the results, and making adjustments can make the 4 Disciplines of Execution more effective over time.
It's important to note that implementing the 4 Disciplines of Execution requires the commitment and participation of the entire team and may take some time to fully implement.
It is recommended to have a team leader or coach to guide the process and ensure the success of the implementation.
The 4 Disciplines of Execution is a widely popular and well-regarded method for achieving goals, however, like any methodology, it is not without its criticisms.
Some of the criticisms of the 4 Disciplines of Execution include:
Complexity: Some critics argue that the 4 Disciplines of Execution can be overly complex and difficult to implement, especially for smaller teams or organizations. They argue that the method requires a significant investment of time and resources to set up and maintain.
Lack of Flexibility: Some critics argue that the 4 Disciplines of Execution can be too rigid and may not be adaptable to different types of organizations or industries. They suggest that the method may not be suitable for companies with rapidly changing goals or priorities.
Limited scope: The 4 Disciplines of Execution is focused on achieving specific, measurable goals, and may not be suitable for organizations that wish to focus on more abstract or long-term goals that cannot be quantified easily.
Limited creativity: Some critics argue that the method's focus on measurable goals and accountability may stifle creativity and discourage experimentation. They suggest that the method may not be suitable for organizations that need to be more flexible and open to new ideas and approaches.
It's important to note that these criticisms are not necessarily a fault of the method but the way it has been applied by some organizations, and the method has been used successfully by many organizations to achieve their goals.
As with any methodology, it is important to understand its strengths and limitations and to tailor it to the specific needs of your organization.
Chapters of the Book:
Introduction
The Real Problem With Execution
Part 1: The 4 Disciplines of Execution
Discipline 1: Focus on the Wildly Important
Discipline 2: Act on the Lead Measures
Discipline 3: Keep a Compelling Scoreboard
Discipline 4: Create a Cadence of Accountability
Part 2: Installing 4DX With Your Team
Bringing It Home
About the Authors
In conclusion, this is a powerful tool for achieving success by focusing on what really matters.
It's a comprehensive method that guides teams to identify their most important goals, track their progress, and hold themselves accountable for achieving them.
The method is simple but it requires commitment and dedication from the entire team.
Even not applying it, the book will at least change the way you think about goal-setting and execution.
Chris McChesney is the Global Practice Leader of Execution for Franklin Covey and one of the primary developers of the 4 Disciplines of Execution. For more than a decade, he has led FranklinCovey's design and development of these principles, as well as the consulting organization that has become the fastest growing area of the company. Chris has personally led many of the most noted implementations of the 4 Disciplines, including the State of Georgia, Marriott International, Shaw Industries, Ritz Carlton, Kroger, Coca-Cola, Comcast, Frito Lay, Lockheed Martin, and Gaylord Entertainment. This practical experience has enabled him to test and refine the principles contained in the 4 Disciplines of Execution from the boardrooms to the front line of these, and many other organizations.
Sean Covey is Executive Vice President of Global Solutions and Partnerships for FranklinCovey and oversees FranklinCovey's international operations in 141 countries around the globe. As the Chief Product Architect for FranklinCovey, Sean organized and directed the original teams that conceived and created The 4 Disciplines of Execution and have been an avid practitioner and promoter of the methodology ever since.
Jim Huling is the Managing Consultant for FranklinCovey's The 4 Disciplines of Execution. Jim's career spans more than three decades of corporate leadership, from Fortune 500 organizations to privately held companies, including serving as CEO of a company recognized as one of the "25 Best Companies to Work for in America." Prior to joining FranklinCovey, Jim was one of the first leaders to adopt The 4 Disciplines of Execution.
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