What is the big idea?
Organisations rarely lack good ideas. New initiatives pop up like weeds. Fast forward one year later: the list of ideas is growing bigger but still no change. Why is that? Are employees that change resistant?
“No”, that’s not it, according to the authors, “they’re just busy”. All their time and effort goes to the daily ‘whirlwind’: the urgent tasks that need to be done to keep the organisation going. Executing the strategy of tomorrow comes ‘on top of’. The whirlwind keeps pushing it back, until it finally disappears altogether.
That’s not how it needs to go, say the authors. They developed a method that allows you to execute your strategy – a midst the daily ‘whirlwind’: The 4 Disciplines of Execution:
- Focus on a WIG – a Wildly Important Goal – instead of many goals at the same time
- Work with lead measures – instead of only measuring the results afterwards
- Keep a compelling scoreboard – to create real commitment
- Create a cadence of accountability – the key for long term success
The message of this book? Follow these four rules rigorously and you’ll be amazed by the results.
Why should you read it?
Do ideas die a silent death? Is it hard to get your strategy executed in your organization? Then you should read this book. You’ll get a clear method that you can immediately put into practice.
First, the authors explain the four disciplines using many examples. Although they sometimes feel like ‘self-congratulation’, they are very recognizable. The second part is a more practical guide to put the method into practice, with the necessary tools provided. You can immediately get started.
We applied this method more than once ourselves. And with great results! Highly recommended!
