5 Simple (not easy) steps to achieve your Vision

You have hired a great team and provided them adequate tools to perform their work. The company has widely publicised a reward and recognition mechanism. HR has created an online performance management system. The Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) in the form of your vision has been cascaded to all. The management has put a premium on teamwork and goals are shared. A big 4 consultant has submitted a strategy that has been approved by the board and broad plans are in place to take the company to the desired goal. The structure has been reviewed and aligned to strategic requirements. Yet performance is mixed and whilst progress has been made, the asking run rate to meet the vision is creeping up.

Does the above sound familiar?

Is it a fair description of where your company is vis a vis its business goals? In case you want a few cheat codes on how to address the situation read on. If not, then you are in the top 1% of business performers and have every right to rejoice. In fact do share with us your implementation secrets

Step 1: Reduce the number of Goals

The key area to look for in such a situation is the number of Goals the company is chasing and in turn the different teams are chasing. If the number of goals that each person or team has in a quarter is more than 2, then look no further. Your organization is trying to do too many things at the same time. Rome was not built in a day. Research shows that when one chases 5 or more goals there is close to zero % chance that any will be met within quality, time or cost

Step2: Balance Score Card (BSC) helps to break silos

Teams in top 10% organizations have only 1-2 goals per quarter and 4-5 goals per year. Lack of performance in such a situation warrants checking alignment amongst the individual and team goals. Possibly, the organization has very focussed managers, who are working in isolation chasing functional and/or departmental goals. A tool like a balanced score card, that drives strategic alignment, may be the answer in such situations

Step 3: Measures Drive behaviour – check that you are chasing the right ones

Many organizations have Balanced Score Cards (BSC) that are taken out once every year and then gather dust. The review mechanism around such score cards ,typically, lack rhythm and rigour. Importantly, such scorecards lack the mix of lead and lag measures in their construction. Lead measures, are measures, characterized by high correlation with the outcome (lag) measures and significant team control. Tasks happen when the baby steps required to make them happen are pursued with vigour. Breaking a key goal into tasks and measuring the same with lead measures is a key trick that organizations often miss out on

Step 4: Accountability Needs Fixing

The key area to look for is accountability. People do work. They need to be capable, motivated and responsible. They need to be equipped with IT support. They need to feel part of something large. They need to know that there are fair, objective and transparent processes to put the garland or burning tyre around their neck based on the outcome. They need to know whether they are making progress. It is here that a compelling and simple scorecard comes into the picture. A score card that makes it clear whether they are getting closer to the target or moving further away.

Step 5: Adopt stand up short meetings

Accountable and motivated people often have their time wasted by poor project management systems. 90% of the organization meetings either review the last one or set up when the next one is going to take place. Each team meeting should review:

• What each member agreed to get done (whether done or not)
• What each member is doing
• What each member will do and by when
• What support do they need and who will provide it

Sitting is the new smoking. Don’t let anyone sit. Everyone stands and that way the meeting will end in a few minutes. Haven’t you heard the phrase – think on your feet

Conclusion:

Do you know whether you and your team are winning or losing right now? If you are messaging your CFO or rummaging through dashboards to figure the answer, then you may want to introspect on whether you put a premium on execution. Don’t get disheartened, I am sitting right next to you on the boat

Would love to hear what tricks and treats you use to meet your Vision.

I sincerely appreciate your reading my posts. Would request you to share the post if you really liked it. You can follow me @sarajitjha.

The Author of the post regular writes on Leadership, Customer Experience and Marketing Technology. He was featured in the Hottest Executives Under 40 Business Today edition March 2014.

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