During a conference last week, the keynote speaker (who was eff’ing fabulous) shared from her experiences as an entrepreneur. As a person who has encountered major highs and lows, and has always taken on a “why not” attitude. At one point she asked the audience to think about one word we would choose to describe as the most important thing that leads to the success of a business owner.

On the screen she gave some examples such as:

• Resilience
• Adaptability
• Innovation
• Persistence
• Integrity
• Creativity
• Chutzpah!

And in my mind I had two ideas:

• Curiosity
• Execution

After a few moments she changed the slide to a quote that read

“Ideas are shit. Execution is the game.”

Gary V. (Vaynerchuk)

Holllaaaaa! Damn I’m good. Hahaha

I was right. And I should hope so with a tagline of “Increase the Speed of Execution” for my business.

Well after my moment of quiet celebration and self-praise for nailing the answer, I was driven to write on the topic. So here we go.

The Pursuit of Success [Part 1]

Your goals and desires serve as the North Star that fuels the mission and vision of your organization. They act as the fuel for your aspirations and get you out of bed every morning even when things feel really eff’ing hard.

However, without action our goals are dreams and our ambitions are fantasies. Having a goal alone is insufficient to bring about tangible outcomes. It is the execution that propels you forward and creates reality from revere. Success begins with knowing what we want (our goals), but it’s the decisive factor of execution that becomes the transformative force in achieving our goals.

Here is a very simplistic and high-level view of what the process of kicking-a$$ and shouting out a loud “boom-shaka-laka” could look like:

1. Goal Setting: Clarify objectives and establish a clear vision. Provide a sense of direction and purpose. Define what success looks like. Create the stage.
2. Progress Strategies: Outline a roadmap of crucial milestones and initial steps. Specify who, does what, and when. (Fun fact: Leaders and teams are only 10-25% likely to complete a goal without a date. Yikes!).
3. Bridge the Gap: Here is where we begin to play a fun game called “Execution.” This is the decisive factor that exists as the bridge that connects our goals with reality. But wait, there’s more 😉
4. Overcome Obstacles: Execution is not without its challenges. These obstacles can be internal and/or external, and come in many forms. One key concept to keep in mind is the difference between what we can control and what we can influence. And we grow when things get hard [insert eye roll]. Yes, it sounds cliché but you can’t deny it’s truth. We build resilience and develop as leaders when we learn from failures and adapt our strategies.

And suddenly…

I have decided to split this into a Part 1 and a Part 2.

Because EXECUTION baby! Steps one and two from above already require that you take some action. So go, go, go. If you don’t have goals set or progress strategies defined take those steps between now and next week/ next newsletter (which I promise will be Part 2).

If you do have goals and strategies, when was the last time you looked at them? Revisit them and be sure you are setting a clear stage. Implement some simple tools to enhance your roadmap like S.M.A.R.T. goals.

As we embrace execution as the key to achievement, we unlock our potential and create a pathway to success. So, embark on your journey armed with clarity and purpose.

Curious if your strategic plan is setting you up for the success you desire?

I often audit strategic plans and execution strategies for leaders and owners, and help assess whether your current state will lead you to meet your goals.

• You can’t read the label from inside the jar.
• Gather new information, insights, and recommendations for improvement so you can grow the organization faster and easier.
• Identify what you are doing well (so you can do more of that).
• Highlight what needs some attention so you can make the right moves to reach your goals.
• Have someone with an unbiased and expert view, let you know exactly where to focus your time and resources.

Would you like to get on a call and discuss? Easy-peasy click the link to SCHEDULE.