Priorities and Focus

It has been nearly eight months since my last post.  There is no good excuse.  But, perhaps, there are good reasons.

One of the most important skills in strategy execution is priority setting.  There are never enough time and resources to get everything done one wants.  So one has to focus on those efforts that are critical to success, that must be done.

I have been fortunate that RedZone Consulting has been remarkably busy over the last several months.  And so, the blog got cut.  Not easily and not without significant thought.  But it was cut intentionally.  


It is not that the blog is unimportant.  By no means.  If it was not important, then there would be no blog at all.  None of us have time to waste on unimportant busywork.  


No, it's just that the blog has not been as important as other priorities.  Now, with goals accomplished, there is time to return to the blog.


Will it be as frequent as before?  Who knows?  That all depends on what tomorrow brings.  For the moment, updating this blog is the most important task at hand. 


For successful Strategy Execution, one cannot allow preference to take hold over priority.  Focus on what must be accomplished to reach your goals.  That will guide where you spend your valuable and oh-so-limited time.

The Blind Pilot

You can't always believe your own eyes.  Understand, analyze - and verify:

I was flying from San Francisco to Los Angeles. By the time we took off, there had been a 45-minute delay and everybody on board was ticked.

Unexpectedly, we stopped in Sacramento on the way. The flight attendant explained that there would be another 45-minute delay, and if we wanted to get off the aircraft, we would reboard in 30 minutes.

Everybody got off the plane except one gentleman who was blind. I noticed him as I walked by and could tell he had flown before because his Seeing Eye dog lay quietly underneath the seats in front of him throughout the entire flight. I could also tell he had flown this very flight before because the pilot approached him and, calling him by name, said, “Keith, we’re in Sacramento for almost an hour. Would you like to get off and stretch your legs?” Keith replied, “No thanks, but maybe my dog would like to stretch his legs.”

Picture this, all the people in the gate area came to a completely quiet standstill when they looked up and saw the pilot walk off the plane with the Seeing Eye dog! The pilot was even wearing sunglasses. People scattered. They not only tried to change planes, they also were trying to change airlines!

Scary. Fascinating. Important.

Initial results from the RedZone Successful Strategy Execution survey:  

90% of all companies fail to execute successfully at least some of their important strategic initiatives.  

Even more frightening:

One-half of all companies fail to execute successfully 50% or more of their important strategic initiatives.

Unbelievable.  

Let your voice be heard!

Here's a link to RedZone Consulting's Successful Strategy Execution survey: http://xrl.us/bfy2tw. It's very brief - only 10 multiple choice questions.

The survey is anonymous - you don't need to provide any personally identifiable information. Please note that the survey is targeted at companies that have to execute important initiatives - if you're a consultant, put your "internal" hat on, please. (I'm well aware that many consulting firms suffer from "shoemaker's children syndrome.")

Please take the survey, and then come back here in a few weeks for the results. Even better, send an email to gregg.bedol@redzoneconsulting.com, and I'll send the results directly to you.

We've just opened the survey and, I can tell you already, the early returns are fascinating! Stay tuned!

Way Too Long

Have I been the only one who has dropped the ball lately (on my blog, that is)? Sorry! So, here are a few miscellaneous thoughts.

1. Do you still believe it's a crock that you can influence people in a designed way to change their behavior? Check this out: http://xrl.us/bfs44c.

2. Does performance in the Red Zone really matter? Take a look at the press surrounding yesterday's Atlanta Falcons/Chicago Bears game: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/recap?gid=20091018001&prov=ap.

3. A very smart person recently said to me: "I can change your behavior so that eventually you will change your mind much quicker and easier than I can change your mind so that you will eventually change your behavior." Think about it....

It's a roller-coaster out there. Hang on.

Blogger's Block

It happens to the best of us - and it certainly has happened to me. Blogger's Block - that state when it is impossible to find something to write. Interestingly, Blogger's Block is like a lot of other blocks - if you attack it when it first appears, it's pretty easy to knock down and get past. But if you delay, put it off, avoid - guess what happens? That block gets bigger and more intimidating. Next thing you know, it's overwhelming. Weeks go by. No blog gets written. And there's a chance that the block will become permanent.

Yes, this story has parallels in the world of Strategy Execution. (Now, there's a surprise). When working to accomplish your goals, it is inevitable that hurdles will emerge - unexpected, real, significant and challenging. And, just like with Blogger's Block, those hurdles need to be attacked and overcome. They won't go away on their own and, if you don't knock them down, they will keep you from reaching your true goals.

Blogger's Block - attacked and conquered. At least for today... Stay tuned.

Quality Counts

I had a great conversation with a client this week about Quality.

A team was given a task - to provide new technology to the field organization - by the company's CEO, and she wanted it done fast. The CEO had a clear vision of what she wanted and described it in detail to her team. She made clear what resources would be available to the team. And she gave them the deadline by which she wanted it in place and operating.

The team sprang to work. It knew it had a tremendous challenge on its hands. The time frame was extremely tight - call it too tight. The resources were extremely limited - call them too limited. And the CEO's vision of what she wanted was clear and ambitious - call it too ambitious. Something had to give. And in this case - it was Quality.

The team delivered on time - the technology got out into the field. The cost was within budget - there was no tolerance (nor availability) for anything more. And the scope - well, the technology was designed to do everything the CEO wanted.

You know the punch line: It didn't work.

You've probably seen the Scope-Resources-Time triangle. Many organizations have adopted it, with the mantra: Pick any two. The concept is simple. Management can fix any two of the three components, so long as the third can flex. Try it:

• Scope and Resources are fixed - The project may take longer than planned
• Time and Resources are fixed - The project may have less scope (functionality) than desired
• Time and Scope are fixed - You may need more resources to get the full functionality complete on time.

The triangle is very valuable - but as you can tell from the story (oh, and the title of this blog), it's not complete. The missing ingredient is Quality.

The fact is, you can fix three components: Scope, time, and resources. But what gives then is the quality. It's not tested, it's not right, it doesn't work.

Here's a simple example you can try on for size: Cooking a gourmet meal. (Have you ever watched one of the reality cooking shows?) Requirements (scope) are fixed - 3 courses, including certain key ingredients. Check. Time is fixed - one hour. Check. Resources are fixed - one chef plus kitchen equipment. Check. So, are the "True Goals" of a great meal always met? Of course not. The missing variable is Quality.

There are plenty of examples of failed execution because of failed Quality. Quality is hard to protect, frequently because it is "expected" and therefore not made explicit nor monitored and measured. We know what happens when something isn't measured, don't we? Right. "You want it respected? Then inspect it."

What happened with this CEO and her challenge? Well, it's in clean-up mode. More dollars (lots) and resources (ditto) have been thown at the problem, trying to fix it. Even worse, putting bad quality out in the field has major, long-term ramifications. You lose trust and credibility. The next solution will be looked at with skepticism and suspicion ("Hah, you think that's going to work? Don't you remember...?"). Fortunately, this was an internally focused initiative. Could you imagine the problems created if this had been client-facing?

It's not pick any two - it's pick any three. Quality is not a given - it is a choice. The commitment to Quality needs to be explicit. It needs to be monitored and measured. Otherwise, Quality can fail, like any other unmeasured metric. And if quality fails, you (and your initiative) will never Reach its True Goals.