This presentation will help you to begin to think strategically about defining your own strategy execution process for your organization.

1. I have been on a continuous journey of learning and it
has been 8 years since my book was published (2007).
The domain of knowledge about “Strategy Execution”
continues to grow rapidly.
© Strategy2Reality LLC and VenkatNarayanan
Version 2.0 May 2015
Copyrights owned by others have been called out where
relevant.
Please email me: william@strategy2reality.comto learn
more about how your organization can apply these

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3. To get more work done, you have to know and focus on
several principles and act consistently on them:
You can never reach something that is never defined. If
you can’t name it, you can’t have it. Defining clear
outcomes (not outputs) is critical.
You need to believe it to achieve it. This drives the need
to understand ‘why’ before ‘how’.
Focus saves time and you have to constantly repeat what
the priorities are and agree to the backlog.
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4. Know why you are doing the work; discover your
purpose within the purpose of the work. Your purpose is
your story!
Visual representation has more impact and transfers
more profound knowledge quicker than a picture that
show the “system” or the relations of parts.
Clarity precedes success because it will drive your focus.
People can act faster on clarity versus abstraction. Keep
the message simple; build a strategy execution map to
communicate the important stuff.
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5. Visual management has become an essential discipline.
One reason Agile tools are becoming popular.
Graphic depiction of complex ideas and systems of cause
and effect enable workers to see how their works fits
into a value stream flowing directly to customers.
Communicating strategy and execution visually can
readily convert organizational knowledge into action.
This gives the most information in the shortest time to
generate team creativity and shared coherence.
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6. Every employee must know the key strategic metrics that
drive profitability.
Competent people will know the drivers of the business
that create value for customers.
Know the leading indicators that drive execution
performance of both operational processes and the
strategic projects and initiatives.
With execution objectives, measure what you want to
manage. You can’t manage what you don’t measure.
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7. Three charts are critical:
1. Have decision rights to define who is responsible and
accountable for key decisions; this includes who is
accountable, those responsible, those who need to
be consulted and informed.
2. Have your core processes mapped using a SIPOC
(SupplierèInputèProcessèOutputèCustomer).
3. The organization needs to understand the interfaces
between functions collaborating to deliver solutions
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8. Portfolio management is about having the right people
on the right projects at the right time.
Ensure that people are on the right position on the team
and that you allow only people who will fit the culture of
the team.
The right projects are the by-­‐product of effective
prioritization and clarity of knowing how your value
creating activities create value for your customers.
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9. Habit #1: A portfolio of resource investment has to be
driven by the top goals that are shared at the top.
Habit #2: Performance information must be made
available dynamically so people know where they stand.
Habit #3: Rhythm can be achieved by managing the
regularity of the conversations of the organization and
the time-­‐to-­‐decisions when change is required.
Habit #4: Execution is everything; it must be learned and
modeled; build a strategy execution office.
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10. These questions have been added to and adapted from
the ‘Rockefeller Habits’.
See ‘Mastering the Rockefeller Habits: What you must do
to Increase the Value of Your Growing Firm’ by Verne
Harnish (2002) Select Books (NY).
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11. Good to Great by Jim Collins (2001) Collins Business,
says you need to know the Big Hairy Audacious Goal that
drives, motivates people to achieve great things. Is your
BHAG clear and how do you communicate it
consistently?
“A true BHAG is clear and compelling, serves as unifying
focal point of effort, and acts as a clear catalyst for team
spirit. It has a clear finish line, so the organization can
know when it has achieved the goal; people like to shoot
for finish lines.”
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12. Know the sweet spot that you play in so that the ability
to differentiate creates value in the market.
Understand your sandbox in terms of what you will not
do; define what is on the outside of the box.
Know the greatest need inside the sandbox and be clear
about your unique selling proposition.
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13. Define the “pain chain” or opportunity to solve a specific
problem to create value is critical to any business model.
The question is: do you know this as a fact or is it an
opinion? You have to know the expected outcome of
your customers to manage the business model your are
executing.
Also, customers can’t always define the things they
need; know as latent needs…this where the game is
played for extra value-­‐add creation.
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14. The first point of reference is your BHAG.
Identify the single most important measure in building
value. This defines your organization in the minds of the
public.
You need to be able to execute on the promise internally
and then protect your position in the market.
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15. Technology is many times the X factor for both cost
efficiency as well as creating value.
You need people to help you understand what and how
to apply technology in your context.
Buyer beware: a fool with a tool is still a fool!
In order, 1. People 2. Process 3. Tools
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16. Probably the most defining question of the management
team: Do you have a process that defines how you
execute?
How do you know how it is working?
What are the skills and systems you need to be better at
execution?
Do your planning processes include ‘executability’
analysis?
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17. Eli Goldratt, Theory of Constraints, has paved the way.
Identify the primary organizational constraint that is an
obstacle to continued growth and success.
Is it internal in the company or external in the market?
How do you know?
The a new constraint emerges as the primary one is
resolved.
What are the realities of the conditions that must be
changed or overcome to release performance
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18. 1. Why are you here?
2. Are you committed to raising your own
performance?
3. Do you consult with others to challenge your
assumptions?
4. Do you know the top 3 constraints of your business
or project?
5. Do you assess the talent of those around you?
6. Are you committed to a continuous improvement of
your core processes and people?
7. Do you understand how your business model creates
value and profitability?
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19. It can be observed that just as a diamond requires 3
properties for its formation: carbon, heat and pressure,
leadership requires character, knowledge and
application.
We propose that those executing strategy can learn from
the ‘Be, Know, Do’ paradigm to train its leaders. Strategy
Execution requires everyone in the organization to
demonstrate leadership.
Use this paradigm to find the right balance between
thought and action to influence the right behaviors
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20. The Toyota Production System has mastered the
leadership and culture of Kaizen: the ability to rapidly
respond to employee suggestions for improvement of
performance.
Some say that this is the greatest competitive advantage
you can create. This requires a leadership team
committed to organization learning.
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21. You need to define your strategy in a framework that is
understandable. Read “Living on the Fault Line” by
Geoffrey A. Moore (2002) Collins Business.
You need to have standard definitions that expresses
your strategy so you can scale the message through your
employees. Read Executing Your Strategy by Mark
Morgan, Raymond E. Levitt and William A. Malek (2008)
Harvard Business School Press.
You need to build a Strategy Execution Office to facilitate
the learning gained by taking action! See
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22. Management techniques come and go. Organizations
are getting wary of adopting the latest and greatest
methodology designed to be a ‘silver bullet’. Therefore,
we are proposing that organizations start by examining
their vision, mission, goals and values and study the
underlying principles and characteristics of successful
strategy execution.
This implies that organizations may have to give up the
notion of a ‘cookie cutter’ “best practices” solution that
can be applied ‘out-­‐of-­‐the-­‐box’ to improve their strategy
execution.
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23. The only useful framework is one that WORKS for YOU.
All organizations have many things in common, allowing
creation of guiding principles, heuristics and rules of
thumb.
Every organization has characteristics that make it
unique. Understanding their unique characteristics is
the first step to developing customized solutions.
These characteristics can be found in the vision and
mission statements and in the values of the organization.
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25. Access to knowledge and information has never been
easier. The first step is always to understand who you
are and what you want.
As new techniques are discovered and invented, there is
a tendency to reach out for the ‘next, new, shiny toy’
hoping to find a ‘silver bullet’. Even the most thorough
research cannot foresee every implementation glitch.
Only a clear understanding of who you are and what you
want will enable creative adaptation of universal
principles. Always change the ‘solution’ to fit the
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26. To avoid starting with a ‘solution’ that is looking for a
‘problem’, begin by seeking to understand where the
organization is today.
Dissatisfaction with current performance is usually the
trigger for action to improve strategy execution.
Enlightened companies seek to go to the next level in
times of success by using the very same techniques.
Performing a diagnostics provides data about where the
organization needs to improve its ‘on the business’
processes to guide specific interventions to improve ‘in
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27. A disciplined approach includes structured, semi-­‐ or
unstructured methods. It refers to the use of systematic
methods. ‘Discipline’ does not imply coercion or the use
of threats.
A disciplined approach involves self-­‐control; the
willingness to do what is ‘right’ as opposed to what is
convenient; it refers to the ability to stick to a decision
and not deviate for the sake of convenience.
‘Discipline’ also implies the use of a body of knowledge,
i.e. formal techniques that have proven to work but are
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28. Contact us for:
1. Speaking engagements to educate your leadership
team on the art and science of strategy execution
2. Diagnostics to understand your organization’s strategy
execution capabilities
3. Strategic planning facilitation for your leadership team
to learn by ‘doing’
4. Coaching for senior executives who seek to execute
strategy through high profile initiatives
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