Would it bother you to find out that 80% of your staff is betting against your success?

A recent article in BusinessWeek reported that more than 80% of staff said their company had an initiative underway that they believed was likely to fail.  Research also shows that in the USA failure rates for projects range from 66% to 91% - costing companies billions of dollars each year.

Whether you're building a new warehouse, launching a new product, or adding vegetarian options to your menu – it seems that most companies still have trouble with “execution”.

5 warning signs that predict business execution failure:

Failure to confront reality

Poor strategic planning dooms execution from the beginning.  The blame lies with leaders who fail to use a disciplined strategic thinking and decision making process to identify the key action priorities - or who then set unrealistic deadlines or budgets.  Staff will fail to execute when they feel pressured to commit to priorities they don’t agree with - or where the expectations are unrealistic.

Lack of trust

In this toxic environment, staff are too scared to speak their mind and provide input to the decision making process, or voice their disagreement - for fear of being treated poorly by the leaders.  Once an initiative is underway they fail to report problems - and focus on covering their backsides rather than taking responsibility.  If your staff are too scared to speak up, who has made them feel that way?

Power politics

Instead of using inviting people to passionately debate all the options – some leaders use their influence to drive their own personal interests and pet projects.  Getting staff to buy-in and effectively execute in this scenario is highly unlikely.

Wrong people on the bus

Execution is hobbled by staff who lack the competencies needed to deliver the required standard of performance - or by staff whose behaviors are not aligned with the company’s core values.  Using an effective hiring process like Top Grading can help prevent this problem.  

Lack of an effective “execution system”

Leaders who don’t have an effective “execution system” to drive and monitor execution progress - who fail to provide proper guidance and support - and who fail to hold staff accountable for implementing key action steps every week – can expect their staff to go back to simply "doing my job" - and strategic execution will always be less than optimal.

Execution is the still the #1 challenge for business leaders!

Are you a business leader of a mid-sized growth company? 

Are you an ambitious learner, seeking extraordinary results?

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