“The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday’s logic.” — Peter Drucker
Today is one of those occasions when I’m not sure what this column is about … so I’m going to let you decide. Is it about resolve, our ability to persevere, to vigorously pursue an idea, uncover its value to our business and set out to relentlessly apply it? Or, is it about execution, our ability to follow proven processes to implement sustainable change in our business? It was probably our moms who first taught us to break down a big task, like cleaning our room, into smaller steps, like “hang up your jacket, put your shoes in the closet,” so that we would ultimately accomplish the bigger goal. Did we need that coaching because we hadn’t resolved to do it in the first place and mom was on to us? Or were we so overwhelmed by the enormity of the task that we didn’t know how or where to start?
The other day I listened to a CEO recount the litany of overdue projects and incomplete initiatives that have frustrated him over the last year. His most important initiatives had barely moved, and he had made only middling progress on his number one goal for the year. In essence, he saw his major goals and objectives as inspiring images of unscalable proportions with no toehold in sight from which to start the climb. He couldn’t resolve to take the first step because he couldn’t imagine how he’d ever traverse 1,000 miles. Where to start? Here are four critical ground rules to achieve those elusive “bigger” goals with a bolt of resolve and a boatload of execution. (Please refer to Creating Goals that Have Meaning to brush up on the importance of goal setting.)
1. Establish realistically achievable milestones. We’ve all heard the Chinese proverb that every journey of 1,000 miles begins with the first step … so where do we place that first footprint? Aim for the first base camp. Then the second. And continue through a series of interim milestones that are realistically achievable and are consistent with the completion schedule. The GTD methodology, for example, (visit Don’t Get Buried. Get with it! for an overview of the Getting Things Done principles) identifies milestones as the “next physical action” required to complete a project. Don’t worry about whether there are three milestones or 50. It’s important that they be objective, understandable chunks of work that have clear boundaries and bright lines around them so everyone knows when they’re done and when to move to the next encampment. By creating tangible milestones, you’ll do the advance planning required to achieve your goals and set your organization on the path to success.
2. Bring along adequate resources. Make sure you identify and acquire sufficient resources to get the job done. They will vary, of course, depending on which milestone you’re seeking, e.g., you’ll probably require more oxygen and warmer clothing as you get closer to the summit. Be realistic about the required resources and be prepared to adjust those requirements to meet the demands of each successive stage.
3. Set realistic timeframes. It is critical to establish a dependable timeline. In an extreme case, you can modify the goal deadline, but resist the temptation to continually extend the deadline simply because you’re falling short of the milestones. Accelerating between interim steps creates positive energy to accomplish the original goal on time and on budget and sets clear performance expectations that the team needs to be successful.
4. Conduct regular After Action Reviews. Following the After Action Review process we described in a previous column, make sure that you thoroughly, objectively and realistically assess your performance every step of the way, and apply those lessons to the next steps without blame or hesitation. At every base camp, revisit the future milestones. You collect a lot of data along the way and gain new insights that inform your course, so adjust your plan accordingly. While you’re at it, don’t forget to reassess your resources and never hesitate to change your plans to meet new conditions and circumstances. In summary: After you set a clear and realistic goal, 1. Build base camps along the way to meet milestones. 2. Apply adequate resources at every stage. 3. Establish a firm but flexible timeline for each milestone. 4. Be rigorous about regular and timely After Action Reviews. Repeat. KBO.
Lary Kirchenbauer is the president of Exkalibur Advisors, Inc., providing practical business strategies for family and other privately owned businesses in the middle market. Exkalibur works closely with senior executives and their businesses at the intersection of leadership and business strategy and uses the Business Ferret™ framework to help companies use strategic finance to drive improved business performance. Lary also hosts the Exkalibur Leadership Forum for leaders of middle market companies in the North Bay. Please visit www.Exkalibur.com for a library of valuable resources, articles and insights or join the Exkalibur fan page on Facebook.
********************************************************************************** The North Bay Business Journal, a publication of the New York Times, is a weekly business newspaper which I have served as a regular columnist for more than two years. The Business Journal covers the North Bay area of San Francisco – from the Golden Gate bridge north, including the Wine Country of Sonoma and Napa counties.
****************************** Article published – August 2, 2010: The electronic version of this article, as published by the North Bay Business Journal, is identical to this post and may be found here. ******************************
Any related materials or articles referenced in the published column, or otherwise applicable, are referenced in this digital version of the article.
Welcome to Exkalibur. I’m Lary Kirchenbauer, President of Exkalibur Advisors, Inc. Please take advantage of our resources to help you build your business ... and let me know what more we can do to serve you.
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Lary was an important component in helping us raise our first (over-subscibed) fund at Harbour Group. His doggedness, professionalism, and friendly demeanor helped open doors for what, at the time, was an untested and reasonably new concept. He was a pleasure to work with and remains a friend to this day.
Ralph Lobdell, Chairman, Tripos, Inc.
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