Practices- the Art of Getting Things Done

A stencil for Practices: Getting Things Done (in a world full of distractions and noise)

?Strong Business results, a Work culture we can be proud of, a positive legacy that lasts, a culture of customer centricity- they all have one thing in common- the ability of “getting it done’ and ‘keeping it there’ while trying to make it better.

?Almost all leaders wake up every day with the desire to make a difference, desire to execute flawlessly and make things better. Why is it that most leaders craft impeccable strategies, can articulate how to get there, but don’t accomplish great execution?

?The answer may lie in the ability to build repeatable practices and the ability to measure the outcome of those practices. Accountability to the ‘practices’ and to the expected outcomes are therefore critical to success.

?Let me share my own experiences with accomplishing strong execution, and the lessons I personally learnt along the way. Hope some of these resonate with those who read this article. Like many other concepts, the insights may not be pathbreaking or novel, but a sound application will surely create strong success.

?This is all grounded in sound and repeatable “practices” that must be pursued every day with relentless focus and discipline.

?Let’s talk about “practices’ now.

?What are practices?

“Perform (an activity) or exercise (a skill) repeatedly or regularly in order to improve or maintain one's proficiency”[1]

What practices must we pursue to be effective at “execution”?

1.???Developing and maintaining “Clarity of Purpose”-

a.???Establish your key priorities and (the daily list of big things to get done).

b.???At the beginning of the day or the end of the day, each day, do you revisit the list of your top priorities, assess milestones, successes, failure, reset needed?

c.???Do leaders on your team do the same?

How does it help- it allows us to stay connected to our priorities and not get distracted by the next shiny goal.

How to do it- Start with priorities. The list must be clear and visible to you and the rest of your team (what’s not known can never get done)

The RACI model works well in its day-to-day management. Who is “Responsible” for doing the work, who is “Accountable” for it (there is only one person), Who do I need to “Consult’ while getting it accomplished and who needs to be kept “Informed” or updated?

It could be done in a notebook, or a writing app on a digital device, or a plain sheet of paper, whatever we are most comfortable with.?

How would you measure success? If we can’t measure it (doesn’t have to be quantifiable 100% of the time), we won’t get it done.

2.???Aligning the organization (a small team, a larger function, or a large multi-geographic organization).

Regular engagement, debate & dialogue with key stakeholders (take time to define who they are and engage proactively) creates trust, collaboration & alignment. Depending on the magnitude of the priority, discussions can be weekly, monthly, or quarterly post initial alignment.

Gaining alignment- doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone gets excited the same way. What it does mean is that they have the opportunity to share their thoughts, recommendations, and critiques as freely (and timely) as possible to make the best collective decision. (Consensus is great but not mandatory, alignment however is critical)

Communicating priorities, success, and updates- Celebrating small wins, creating energy for the future, making change easier and above all building trust. We have the responsibility to communicate with honesty while being our most authentic self.

All-Hands (a.k.a. Town-halls) (ideally Monthly or every other month or quarterly at worst), written priority updates (real time collaboration channels, emails when needed) are great tools to keep everyone in the organization updated on “what matters most” and their respective progress.

Employee feedback forums- (at least one monthly, and more if possible) a 2-way communication channel to seek real feedback, building trust, while also communicating a compelling vision of the future. Also, allows employees to decide/contribute to “what matters most”.

Fire-side chats- focused fireside chats on ‘key’ priorities (especially the ones employees are most anxious about), with the sole aim of creating clarity, transparency, and trust.

It’s easy to lose track of missed communication opportunities, and hence clear governance and accountability will help keep things on track. Someone on the team must keep account of communications and dialogues needed, when they re needed, if they were done and the follow through that are needed. If not done, derailment starts to take place and change becomes messy.

By the end of the alignment discussion, everyone understands and supports the priority (or change) even if some part of it doesn’t appeal to them. They support it in everyone’s presence and will support it in absence too. ?

Now that we have accomplished alignment, it’s time to get specific on metrics that defines success. (Use OKR[2], SMART measures, KRA as relevant)

3.???Rhythm of Practices-

Huddles:

a.???2 to 3 times a week “quick huddles” (15 minutes or 30 minutes max, focused only on roadblocks, significant challenges) – clearly assign who owns the problem resolution

b.???Informal offline resolution approach so that they are not held up for long.

c.???A follow up rhythm on the issues (in leadership meeting or monthly priority review meeting)

Weekly and (Monthly if needed) Leadership discussions:

A section for priority review in weekly leadership meeting. It could rotate between priority segments (people, client, financial etc). Great opportunity to review success, metrics, gaps and create great accountability for the collective team on outcomes.

?Business Reviews that matter- progress and outcome focused, both on run-the-engine and transformation.

Depending on the nature of the review, including the larger leadership team is a great idea. A great opportunity to align the broader team on priorities, present the success and opportunities in their business, realign goals, follow up on commitments. Ability to start with follow ups from the “takeaways’ from the previous business review (simple status) strengthens culture of execution. Also, a great opportunity for leaders to learn from each other and grow their talent.

?Important note- While in totality, these discussions seem to add “meeting” time, they are a great replacement for long adhoc discussions on priorities, projects, and programs. A methodical approach to “execution practices” reduces overall meeting burden and will create more time to “get things done”.

?Quarterly planning session: (not a meeting but a working session)

a.???Realigning on priorities

b.???Accountability on milestones

c.???Agreeing on success measures and timelines that everyone agrees to

d.???Assessing progress on priorities and metrics that matter.

?Annual planning session (a working session focused on building/aligning on priorities)

The quarterly planning sessions should make it easier to prepare for priorities of the following year (both “run the engine” and transformational)

?Its critical to keep the Annual Planning Session focused on taking stock of the year and planning for the next. It’s easier to accomplish if the quarterly working sessions are well executed. The focus must stay on having “rich dialogue” and goal alignment while adding elements of team building, fun and entertainment. There may be a separate opportunity to rally the troops too.

?In summary, simple practices can help achieve great results when combined with focus, clarity, discipline, and effective partnerships.

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?Authored by- Tanveer Alam | Views expressed in the article are the authors own | [1] Oxford dictionary definition. 2 OKR (Objectives and Key Results) is a goal system used by Google and many others. The concept was created by Andy Grove | Learn more at whatmatters.com

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