The 4 Disciplines of Execution Summary
3 min read ⌚
Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals
Achieving Your Wildly Important GoalsA strategy is worth nothing if it doesn’t get executed.
Learn “The 4 Disciplines of Execution” and success will follow.
About Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, Jim Huling
Chris McChesney and Jim Huling lead FranklinCovey, a company that guides people to improve their performance.
Sean Covey is an author, publishing executive and speaker.
“The 4 Disciplines of Execution PDF Summary”
Ever New Year we write up a full list of resolutions to change our habits and lives.
The first few weeks after we decide to change our life, we are enthusiastic and motivated and even do a few small steps toward making our resolution come true.
However, as days go by, our enthusiasm wears off, and we go back to our old habits and behaviors.
Why is that the case?
Because people find execution hard.
The same goes for companies as well.
Having a strategy is not enough – without executing it, nothing changes.
So, what can you do to improve your execution and reach the place you wish to see yourself at?
First, you need to start focusing only on those things that matter.
We get it: you want to do more, but the more you overburden yourself, the less energy you will have to focus on vital tasks.
So, make a list of priorities and focus on one or two WIGs (Wildly Important Goals). When you create this list, be as specific as possible.
Now once you do this, you need to shift your focus from measures that help you achieve your goals, instead of measures that put you down when you do not.
Do not focus on past experiences and lag measures – instead, concentrate on lead measures which are an image of current behavior.
Focusing on the present is important since you can influence it to achieve your objectives.
The third discipline is keeping score of your employees’ performance. Keeping score will motivate your staff since it will create a game-like atmosphere, in which all people will want to win.
Lastly, nothing of what we mentioned above will bring long-lasting change if your employees do not commit to the goals you want to achieve.
To make this happen, make sure they are not accountable just to you, but to their colleagues too.
Hold WIG meetings to keep the progress in check.
Key Lessons from “The 4 Disciplines of Execution”
1. Change is Good
2. Become Aware of the Whirlwind
3. Four Steps to Introducing the Four Disciplines to Your Company
Change is Good
A change will push you forward. Growing is essential.
But what you should strive for is not using quick fix actions with which you find someone else to do the job for you, but to change your behavior so you can create lasting change.
Become Aware of the Whirlwind
Whirlwind is a term used to define all daily tasks that drain your time and creativity. Whirlwind is the most significant enemy of change.
However, despite the whirlwind, by mastering the four disciplines of execution, you will be able to achieve big strategic objectives.
Four Steps to Introducing the Four Disciplines to Your Company
- Gather many ideas.
- Rank the ideas you came up with.
- Test your ideas.
- Come up with a clear and simple definition of your goal.
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“The 4 Disciplines of Execution Quotes”
If you are not keeping score, you’re just practicing. Click To Tweet If you ignore the urgent, it can kill you today. It’s also true, however, that if you ignore the important, it can kill you tomorrow. Click To Tweet You might find it hard to let go of a lot of good goals until you start serving a greater goal. Click To Tweet Once you’ve decided what to do, your biggest challenge is in getting people to execute. Click To Tweet Focusing on the wildly important means narrowing the number of goals you are attempting to accomplish. Click To Tweet
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