Execution - The Vital Key to Peak Performance and Success

Get’r done!  Whatever you gotta do, don’t bitch about it, don’t complain, give a 110% and just get’r done” - Larry the Cable Guy

I am sure you have heard it repeated many times - Vision, goal setting and strategic planning all have been pointed to as the primary keys to success.  Fortunes have been made and millions have been inspired by those proclaiming the secret to success and “having it all”. 

Rhonda Byrne’s book The Secret, which speaks to the law of attraction (visualize what you want, believe you can do it, take action and the universe will provide it), was in essence a modernized rebranding of Napoleon Hill’s statement that “Whatever the mind can conceive, and believe, the mind can achieve” from his famous book Think and Grow Rich. The common thread in the guidance provided from all of the self-help and success gurus can be traced back to Andrew Carnegie’s statement that “Whatever your mind feeds upon, your mind attracts to you” and “You will only be successful when you take possession of your own mind and direct it to ends of your own choice”.

I believe these statements are all true and that you will not have success until you have put in place these foundational principles.  It is also true that an equally important component of success is your ability to execute the strategy required to reach your vision and goals. 

In other words it’s you or your team’s ability to get’r done. 

There are many great visionaries that have conceived wonderful ideas that can change the world. The critical factor that separates those who are successful from those that just dream is their ability to follow through and inspire others to take action.

The late Steve Jobs was an incredible visionary who changed how the world views and uses technology. His key to success at Apple was his ability to not only visualize a product but to make them a reality, to not accept excuses, but find solutions and to inspire and at times demand that his employees push perceived boundaries, bend reality, defy conventional wisdom and “make it happen”. 

How many times have you, someone you know or your company come up with a great idea, developed a strategic vision, set goals and ended up not accomplishing what you set out to do. If you have encountered this challenge you are not alone, a recent survey revealed that over 70% of strategic initiatives are never implemented.

Whether you are working for yourself or are a leader, coach, manager or CEO of a team, organization or business, you can grab hold of performance by following the 4 Disciplines of Execution.

1.       Focus on the Wildly Important

What is so important for your business, team or organization that if it doesn’t happen there is no reason for you to be doing what you are doing?  – Identify and focus with laser clarity on what you are trying to achieve.

2.       Act on the Lead Measure

What are the lead measures or action steps that if you do them consistently you will achieve the Wildly Important Goal? They have to be measureable and you must find a way to track them fanatically.

3.       Develop a compelling Scoreboard

Whether it’s in business or in sports we all know that we play differently when the team knows what the score is. Are you winning or losing against the action steps and the Wildly Important Goal. Are your strategies and action plans working or not? Keep the scoreboard available for all to see and up-dated at least on a monthly basis.

4.       Create a Cadence of Accountability

Create accountability throughout your whole team, organization or business so you do what you say you are going to do. Hold weekly meetings with assigned groups to review the scoreboard and make sure everyone is on track. Celebrate wins or change course if necessary and challenge each other to succeed.

How to Schedule Your Day for Peak Performance

People often choose to work for themselves because of the freedom and flexibility that results form owning their own schedule and the space to bring their ideas to life. One of the biggest challenges will be structuring your time so that you fully experience the benefits of working for yourself while also being as creative and productive as possible. Eventually, organization and effectiveness challenges will pile up and you will need to give structure a try in order to get things accomplished.

Some good questions to ponder are - how can I achieve personal Peak Performance, get stuff done, take care of myself, make time from for play, and actively push myself outside my comfort zone? 

To help you in this process I highly recommend the following organizing and planning format that I recently adapted.

1. Set priorities on Sunday.

Every Sunday, I sit down and map out my week. Instead of defining the hour-by-hour of each day, I outline my weekly priorities and what I want to have accomplished by the following Sunday.

2. Map out work, play, fit, and push.

• Work: For each day, I outline my "Top 3," meaning the three most important things I will have accomplished by the end of the day. Sometimes I'll map out the entire week on Sunday because my priorities are super clear. Other times, I'll decide on my Top 3 on a day-by-day basis.
• Play: I've found that play enables me to self-express, reflect, and give my ideas space, which shows up positively in my work. Making time to create art, get into nature, climb a tree, go on photo walks, and read puts me in a constant state of curiosity and flow.
• Fit: Movement keeps ideas moving forward so I aim to move my body for at least 30 minutes each day.
• Push: Since learning and growth is important to me, I do something that scares me (almost) every day. This may be asking someone whom I deeply respect for an interview or writing about a topic that makes me feel vulnerable.

3. Batch your days.

• Batching actions into specific days and creating time for creativity has been a huge game changer for me. Here's how I break down my schedule.
• CREATE on Monday/Wednesday/Friday: I create holes in my schedule for thinking and creating. On these days, instead of thinking about how to spend my time in advance, I pay attention to my body and take breaks as needed.
• CALLS and MEETINGS on Tuesday/Thursday: When possible, I avoid phone calls and meetings because I find them typically unproductive and often easy to solve via email. I set aside three hours on Tuesday and Thursday for meetings, and once these spots are filled, I say no. There are, of course, occasional exceptions.
• "Hate you but have to do you" is saved for Wednesday morning: Things like paying bills, clearing out my email inbox, and the like, take up just one morning.
• SPONTANEOUS Saturday: With so much structure, I make room for spontaneity. On Saturday, I let go and go where the day takes me. Balancing structure with a day of free-spiritedness makes me feel whole.
• INTENTIONAL Sunday: Plan for the week ahead.

I wrote this blog to hopefully inspire you and provide you with some ideas that will help you achieve Peak Performance in your life, team, business or organization. 

When it comes to reaching peak performance, it's about experimenting to figure out what works best for you. 

Feel free to try out these ideas and share your experience or let us know what has worked for you in the comment section below.

And remember to develop a Get’r Done attitude!

References: 

·         4 Disciplines of Execution – Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, Jim Huling  
http://www.amazon.com/The-Disciplines-Execution-Achieving-Important/dp/1469265222

·         Amber Rae – Founder and CEO of The Bold Academy - www.boldacademy.com