Execution: It's All About Getting It Done!

Part 4 -- What Is Execution, Where Does It Start, Where Does It End

by Janice Giannini

As a trusted business consultant and advisor, Janice has been helping clients achieve their stretch goals and create a new normal since 2005. She engages with senior executives and teams, particularly in complex businesses where misalignment is blocking their desired success, to develop and execute practical business strategies and plans. Clients have found her especially helpful when they recognize they must integrate an eagle’s eye and worm’s eye view in order to identify and remove obstacles. Janice has consistently taken on those challenges that others chose to run from. This typically involves those challenging times when failure is not an option and integrating business, technology and people changes must be accomplished simultaneously. As a result, many of her clients are complex organizations who won't settle for anything less than developing widespread professional competence.

In Part 4 we focus on handling the process challenges and the inevitable stumbles we face along the way. These are related to the changes in perception and emotions that accompany the structure of the metrics based approach to goal achievement.

A clear definition of the plan, helps to crystallize the vision and set the direction for the team. The small discreet action steps that can be accomplished cause the team to start building confidence as the successes add up.

The consequences that follow from these first small steps :

  • New confidence levels leading to a sense of urgency to accomplish more,
  • In turn leading to a much more focused team and improvement in the WHAT and HOW of the goals.
  • Even the skeptics in the group, start to believe that the action plan is possible
  • Causing the whole team to develop passion around the goals
  • Which in turn creates a higher energy level , and
  • This energy level becomes the spring board from which the momentum and sense of cooperation carries the team forward.
  • Resulting in a true sense of collaboration, which propels the team to the next level!

In order to attain these riches, there are challenges the team will successfully navigate:

  • Willingness to continually ask are we on the right track? How do we know? Are we making sufficient progress?
  • Evaluate work and progress based on the metrics
  • Follow the process of plan, metrics, objectivity, and accountability even when there isn't time" or its uncomfortable


Stay balanced even when the normal human emotions of doubt rear their heads. These emotions will want the old way. Resist!
This is a process of positive re-enforcement. Follow the process; trust it will get you there. As small successes add up, and the teams start to see progress, they will develop the ability to look at the plan as a guide post and alter course as appropriate. The most challenging parts of the journey to taking performance to the next level is NOT getting starting.
Persevering through the emotional ups and downs that go with putting a high stakes plan in place and then being accountable to it. Every day will not go smoothly. Temptations will be there to abandon your goals, Stay the course. When reality starts to conflict with the plan, there are times when re-pathing is necessary. This conflict may occur in 2 broad areas: the plan is too robust for the job at hand, or the plan no longer aligns with the market space.


Some questions to guide analysis and re-pathing:

  • What do the metrics indicate? Are the action steps discreet and clear? Is the order aligning with the end result needed?
  • What are market share, profits, new product releases indicating?
  • Who is buying your product and services?
  • Is the strategy and execution still in line market place dynamics?
  • Are competitors encroaching on your market share?

In Part 5 we will speak to the last focal point, "Linkage between execution and strategy" and the impact they have on an organization's ability to execute flawlessly and "Get It Done

  1. Addressing the What, Why, How, When, and Who of effective Execution
  2. Properly defining the execution and emotional mindsets needed,
  3. Thinking through the plans and metrics required to succeed,
  4. Handling the process challenges and inevitable stumbles along the way, and
  5. Creating a tight enough linkage between execution and strategy to form an iterative cycle.


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As management and sales consultants, Paradigm Associates, as a top 10% consulting firm in the US, provides customized consulting solutions to organizations who want to improve business results, increase sales revenues via sales training and development, attract and keep loyal customers, think and plan strategically, lead and develop managers more effectively, develop a culture of employee engagement, improve operational effectiveness, coach their executives and individuals, and take the right actions quicker in order to get and keep a sustainable competitive advantage.