We were recently at a meeting where several of the people there started talking about a book they had read, \u201cThe 4 Disciplines of Execution\u201d written by three top executives of the FranklinCovey Company . . . Chris McChesney, Jim Huling, and Sean Covey (son of Stephen Covey, who was a founder of the FranklinCovey Company and author of \u201cThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People\u201d).\u00a0 Execution is a compelling topic because no matter how good an idea you have, and no matter how thoroughly you plan to bring your idea to life, it will all go for naught if you don\u2019t execute your plan well.\u00a0 So the boys from FranklinCovey give us their take on the four disciplines you must have in place if you\u2019re going to execute a plan well.\u00a0 But we believe there is a fifth discipline . . . arguably the most important discipline . . . that needs to be in place if you\u2019re going to execute well.\u00a0 To learn more about \u201cThe 4 Disciplines of Execution,\u201d and about the fifth discipline that we believe was overlooked, please continue reading below.<\/p>\n
\u201cIdeas are cheap. Ideas are easy. Ideas are common. Everybody has ideas. Ideas are highly, highly overvalued. Execution is all that matters.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ~ Casey Neistat<\/em><\/p>\n Every morning, a business owner starts the day with some idea of what he or she wants to accomplish during the day.\u00a0 But then the biggest customer calls with a problem that demands immediate attention or a key piece of equipment breaks down, and suddenly, the owner\u2019s Plan for the Day is pushed aside in order to solve these emergency situations.\u00a0 It\u2019s the idea that important but long-term things we want to do for the health of the business will always give way to the Crisis du Jour.\u00a0 Throughout the book, the authors refer to this as the \u201cwhirlwind\u201d . . . the daily operational demands of the business that make it difficult to focus on the long-term objectives for the business.\u00a0 In one way or another, all of the authors\u2019 \u201c4 Disciplines\u201d are aimed at taming the \u201cwhirlwind.\u201d\u00a0 Let\u2019s look at them one at a time.<\/p>\n And then there\u2019s the missing, fifth, discipline.<\/p>\n Think of a professional sports team where each member of the team is held accountable to perform in a professional, workman-like manner . . . but the team still has a losing record.\u00a0 Compare that to a team that is committed to win . . . a team that, despite injuries to key players, despite playing in adverse weather conditions, despite playing on the road, still finds a way to win.\u00a0 Make no mistake, accountability is a crucial tool in any organization, but if you have to place a bet on which organization will be most likely to execute its plans well, bet on the organization that is fully and truly committed to the outcomes it wants to achieve.<\/p>\n In many organizations, commitment means \u201cWe\u2019re committed to giving it a try\u201d or \u201cWe\u2019ll give it our best shot\u201d or words to that effect.\u00a0 They leave a door open in case this doesn\u2019t work out.\u00a0 No, that\u2019s not true commitment.\u00a0 True commitment means you\u2019re all in, no turning back, failure is not an option, pull out all the stops.\u00a0 That level of commitment is the only way to overcome the \u201cwhirlwind\u201d of daily distractions and ultimately achieve your long-term goals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We were recently at a meeting where several of the people there started talking about a book they had read, \u201cThe 4 Disciplines of Execution\u201d written by three top executives of the FranklinCovey Company . . . Chris McChesney, Jim Huling, and Sean Covey (son of Stephen Covey, who was a founder of the FranklinCovey<\/p>\n\n
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