There’s an old saying that once identified, a problem is already half-solved.The challenge is diagnosing and treating the right disease and not the symptoms.In today’s convulsive economic environment, that effort is growing increasingly difficult as business leaders confront challenges literally screaming for their attention.If asked, these leaders likely would describe their biggest problem as the issue they’re facing right at the moment.
While, on the surface, youcan make a compelling caseto tackle immediate issues,they are not the primaryfocus of running a business.
“No matter what the problems are today, they’ll be different tomorrow, and theywill be bigger. There is onebusiness problem that, ifsolved, makes solving allother problems easier,” saysGary Harpst in his new book,“Six Disciplines ExecutionRevolution.”
He argues persuasively that learning howto plan and execute strategy is the cornerstone capability any organization shouldhave if they want to achieve excellence. Hebelieves that most business leaders beginwith visions of excellence dancing in theirhead and their heart. However, buffeted byexternal and internal challenges that compete for their attention, many of thesebusiness leaders lose sight of this vision.Instead, they have adopted a reactive, fire-fighting mentality that derails their pursuitof excellence.
By focusing on achieving operational excellence, business leaders will be in a better position todeal with all the other problemson their radar screen. Excellence,according to Harpst, is not somevague, nebulous managementconcept. It results from ongoingefforts to balance strategy (whatpromises to make to stakeholders and a road map of how toaccomplish them) and execution(getting there in spite of theinevitable hiccups that occur).
Harpst is not some modern-daysnake-oil salesman, repackagingsimplistic and naive management solutions.His insightful tome draws heavily from theexperience, research, field testing andproven best practices that he has inspiredand developed in 27 years as CEO and co-founder of three businesses, includingSolomon Software. The vision he lays outcharts a new course for how business leaders can finally confront the challenge ofplanning and executing strategy.
Lessons learned
- The author reveals the three major obstacles that have to be overcome if the business leaders are to be successful — insufficient expertise, prohibitive economics and simple human aversion to change — and the strategies to overcome them. He charts a carefully calibrated course that takes the reader through various business improvement disciplines including: quality programs, business process best practices, personal productivity tools, business intelligence, strategy formulation, virtual community development and business coaching.
- At the core of Harpst’s recommendations is developing a continuous loop methodology that involves strategy, planning, organizing, executing and innovating — all of which combine to drive organizational learning and understanding. Without such discipline, learning becomes nothing more than an endless process of missteps, trial and error, and firefighting.
- Sadly, only one out of three employees understands his or her employer’s business strategy. Why? Mainly because it hasn’t been communicated to the employees. Without this necessary direction, innovation and results are limited. By connecting team activities with company goals, “Six Disciplines Execution Revolution” helps you address the communication challenge in an ongoing, systematic way.
REQUIRED READING
Great books for strategic management
Built to Last by James C. Collins andJerry I. Porras | This business classicsubtitled “Successful Habits of VisionaryCompanies” has certainly earned itsadmirable shelf life. Especially adaptableto today’s business challenges, thisbook’s emphasis on core values and purpose reminds managers that the ideologyof a well-built organization includesenduring tenets and guiding principles —the things that can never be compromised for financial gain or expediency.Purpose, the authors remind us, encompasses an organization’s fundamentalreasons for existing beyond money.HarperBusiness, 322 pages
Break From the Pack by Oren Harari | Ina global free market, companies vie to bethe front-runners in their industry, theones who stand out and get positiveattention from customers and investors.But everywhere products are being imitated and commoditized, and it becomesharder and harder not to be stuck insidethe pack. Oren Harari lends credibleadvice on how to break from the pack,including the tip that companies mustdevelop a pipeline of continuously emerging products that defy the “me-too” valueof whatever is currently being offered inthe market.Wharton School Publishing, 275 pages
The Complexity Crisis by John L.Mariotti | Complexity is a dangerousbyproduct for companies in their quest forrapid growth within their markets. Whilecreating more products, processes, services, locations and more, the creep ofcomplexity moves in to threaten profitsand drain resources. Globalization alsoincreases vulnerability to the complexitycrisis. John Mariotti explains why innovation, although essential, should be managed. The hard part, he tells us, is sortingout which ideas should make the cut andthen undertaking the job of commercializing them successfully. The importantmessage is: Don’t let complexity slow youdown.Platinum Press, 236 pages.
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