“How many times do I have to tell them?!!” This exasperated cry is a regular complaint I hear from senior executives who are struggling to get their entire organization moving in the same direction. Unfortunately, very often the answer to such a cry is, “As many times as it takes!”
A reality of leadership is that most of the people in our organizations don’t think about the end destination nearly as often as we do, and rightfully so. We pay them to accomplish a particular task – a tactical, day-to-day, practical task. We on the other hand, are paid as leaders to not only make sure the right tasks get accomplished, but to make sure how those tasks are accomplished moves the organization in the right direction and towards our identified vision. Which often means repeating our plan many more times than we think is necessary.
Effective execution is as much about leadership communication and motivation as anything else. As leaders we have an obligation to communicate the “plan” how our vision and strategy and tactics are connected as often as possible, to keep it center of mind for everyone in the organization. It is our responsibility to make the plan a day-to-day topic that drives action rather than a once-a-year or once-a-quarter conversation that drives people to sleep.