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.

Celebrating Freedom

Happy Independence Day, my friends. What a unique opportunity we have in this country, and how lucky we are in so many ways.

I'm going to resist the (very strong!) temptation to talk about the Declaration of Independence as a statement of Vision Clarity and the Revolutionary War as an excellent example of Strategy Execution. No, today's just a day to say thanks. Here's just a partial list. Thanks to....

• My father, a member of the Greatest Generation, who served in WWII and never talks about it. Same with his twin brother Alan and friends Bobby and Dominic, still together 60 years after the war ended.
• My friend David Gilkeson and all those who served and are still serving our country in the armed forces. David did two stints in Iraq. He left the comfort of his home, his wife, his children, to put his life at risk so we could be a little bit safer. I don't care what your opinion of the war or its politics - we still need to thank those who protect us and ask very little in return.
• My friends and leaders at Bet Haverim and Decatur Prebyterian Church. We have freedom of religion. I get to experience two and appreciate others.
• Again, to Rabbi Josh and those at Bet Haverim. Some of the strongest and most inspiring people you'll ever meet, fighting every day so that the gay and lesbian community have the freedoms that the rest of us take for granted.
• Every law abiding citizen (and especially the whistleblowers) who recognizes that the only way our country will survive is by choosing to work together and live within rules and constraints. Sometimes it is frustrating - but it's a heck of a lot better than anarchy and a 'zero-sum' society. (And if that's 'socialism,' then guilty as charged.)
• Everyone I argue with, disagree with, challenge, prod, and aggravate. Isn't it great that we live in a country where we can?

Is this a perfect country? Of course not. We're human - and individual humans aren't perfect, much less a collection of us trying to get along.

Okay, I give in. Over 200 years ago, our ancestors established this country. Our Declaration of Independence is the vision. Our Consitution provides our Guiding Principles. The Supreme Court, Congress, the Executive Branch - and the people - continuously revalidate and review our Vision, to make sure the goals are still intact and we're still going in the right direction.

July 4, 2009. So far, so good.

Lemons and Lemonade

Summertime's the right time to think about lemonade.  

You're familar with the old saw, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade."  The saying resonates.  When something goes wrong, don't dwell on it: Make something positive out of the negative.

This is a particularly powerful concept in the world of Strategy Execution in the context of Reaching True Goals.  Reaching goals is a process.  During that process, it is almost inevitable that everything won't go smoothly.  Those are the "lemons."

The "lemonade"?  How you react to the lemons.  If you let the lemons throw you off, you get depressed, angry, discouraged.  The focus changes from reaching your goals to "fixing" the lemons.  That creates distractions.  The end result is frequently a shift from concentrating on reaching specific goals to correcting and avoiding future lemons.  And, somewhere along the line, the true goals get lost and forgotten.  

Making lemonade, on the other hand, means taking the lemons in stride.  Recognizing that they will occur, and reacting appropriately.  If you recall, one element of the RedZone Strategy Execution Framework is "Monitor and Mitigate Threats to Success."  That means watching out for and dealing with the lemons - the things that can get in the way and keep an organization from reaching its true goals.

A critical element of reaching goals is recognizing that lemons will and do show up along the way.  The key is to watch out for them, recognize them, and deal with them - and not let them derail the entire initiative.

Make Lemonade.  Reach Your True Goals.  Now that's a refreshing thought.