Getting Stuff Done

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I read an article recently (link below) about the difference between strategy and tactics that brought a “heck yeah!” to my lips and several fist pumps.  In the article the author denotes that:

Strategy is thinking about what you’re going to do.
Tactics are the things you can do.
Strategic Execution is doing things in a thoughtful way.

Cue first round of fist pumps, which comes as no surprise since I wrote about this last week!  Doing things in a THOUGHTFUL way.  Successful execution is, in part, about conscious choice and action.  In business, success is measured by the number of metrics missed, hit and exceeded.  Typically a system goal is identified, a strategy devised, action steps numbered and, as long as everyone follows the steps (i.e. execution), voila!  Success, right?  Not so fast.

We have somewhat the same idea of successful execution in our personal lives with some pretty similar results.  We tend to think about how we want our lives to go, how we want to raise our kids, what retirement might look like for us.  We put some thought into it but we rarely sit down and plan out the steps we need to take.  Even rarer is getting everything in writing which proves critical to goal achievement.  (Read more here about the connection between written goals and success)

What Lacy Boggs, author of the execution article, illustrates so beautifully is that we must first be thoughtful about what we want then we need to be intentional about getting it.  In other words, in order to be successful you MUST THINK about your strategy and get it clear.  When it comes to tactics (the how), you must STOP and ASK if the tactic you are about to use will get you closer or farther away from your goal.  There are millions of great tactics to help you execute your strategy, but if they are tactics you’re not willing to employ then you are still at Square One. 

A quote in the article brought the second round of fist pumps.  In an article from the Harvard Business Review, author Peter Bregman asserts that execution is a people problem, not a strategy problem.  In order to change our outcomes, we have to change our behavior.  To change our behavior, we must first THINK.  What behavior that has gotten us where we are, and what is getting in the way of where we want to go.

Changing our behavior is hard, intentional work.  It starts with small but significant steps.  What is one thing you can change today that can move you toward your goal?  Then, all you have to do is start!

Read the full article “Are You Focused on Tactics or Strategy? The Goal is Strategic Execution” here.