Monte Pedersen

The CDA Group LLC  

The CDA Group LLC is an independent leadership training firm specializing in strategy execution management for senior executives and their businesses. This involves one-on-one coaching, senior leadership team development and hands-on training for frontline personnel. We make the people in your 

We teach and connect your people in how to get results. We make them people that can be counted on to deliver, and get them better at doing it every year.

Principal

Sodexo Education Services

Responsible for the operations and management of Sodexo dining service accounts within the higher education market for the states of Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.  Led a team of professionals that managed a portfolio of over 90 accounts across three business disciplines.  Key roles involved major project development and implementation, senior executive relationship building, contractual negotiations and strategic new business development.

Regional Vice President

Off Campus Solutions

Off Campus Solutions (OCS) a subsidiary of Sodexo, USA developed off campus programs for colleges, universities and their students. OCS builds comprehensive solutions for the student community, starting with their on campus meal plan and subsequent evolution to a program that creates value for students who live, work, and spend money off campus. OCS creates customized programs that allow students to spend their dining dollars at local restaurants and merchants off campus. The student account may or may not be linked directly to the student ID card, but in both cases it acts as a declining balance card. Additionally, OCS creates local merchant networks and aide those merchants in how best to provide value to students and their off campus needs.

Senior Vice President

Leadership Through the Lens of Execution | “I Execute"

The ability to execute is the ultimate leadership identity, and most organizations don't understand or recognize how to effectively establish this skill within their teams or with their people. That's what we do.   

We are a completely operations-driven team with a system and process that helps organizations achieve their strategic initiatives annually and improve in each subsequent year. 

✔Our expertise lies in building a framework for effectively managing your business that embeds the discipline of execution into your team's daily pattern of management. The result of which is;  

* a more aligned and collaborative workforce,
* reinforcement of organizational values and core behaviors,
* streamlined communications and operational clarity,
* greater levels of accountability, and
* aggregated data for better decision-making,

We meet every client and their teams where they are, teaching them “Leadership through the Lens of Execution.” This is a unique operating framework that collects “actionable intelligence" the data and information needed to build the support structure and communication processes necessary to manage your people individually. 

This is where all great execution occurs. 

Find out more at:
www.clarifydeployachieve.com

The CDA Group is an independent leadership training firm that specializes in helping small to middle sized businesses and organizations achieve their strategic objectives-every year and continue to get better and better at it.  

We believe that most businesses excel at creating the plan for what they want to achieve.  Nobody understands or carries those aspirations better than CEO's, Senior Leaders and Business Owners.  

Where problems arise is when the business fails to execute on the plan and team members don't understand what is expected of them.  

That's where we come in...experts on execution management that are dedicated to the concept of "Execution Mastery" or the process of Clarifying, Deploying and Achieving organizational initiatives.

“When you’re a leader — no matter how long you’ve been in your role or how hard the journey was to get there — you are merely overhead unless you’re bringing out the best in your employees.” 
 
"Overhead" meaning that you’re a business expense that can't be allocated or charged to a particular part of the work you do or product your create. You're simply a cost of the goods your company sells. 
 
This is not a very flattering view of how most of us see our role in leadership, according to Dan Cable, professor of organizational behavior at the London Business School and contributing author to Harvard Business Review.

It gets worse as we all know that the power held by leaders can do good, however it can also do damage. 
 
Cable adds, “Power can cause leaders to become overly obsessed with outcomes and control, and, therefore, treat their employees as a means to an end. This ramps up people’s fear, fear of not hitting targets, fear of losing bonuses, fear of failing, and as a consequence people stop feeling positive emotions and their drive to experiment and learn is stifled.”
 
In effect, leading in this way causes us to lose our people.
 
Being humble and “serving others” is what can bring them back.
 
Humility is the most important of three virtues that Patrick Lencioni describes in his book “The Ideal Team Player”. His premise is that we focus far too much on individual technical skills versus how we interact and work with others on our team.
 
Behaviors like arrogance, conceit, and superiority are rooted in having too much pride. Lencioni sees “being humble” as the antidote to this.
 
Humility is also a required skill if your organization wants to excel at strategy execution. 

The performance of each of your team members relies heavily on their capacity to collaborate and assist others, both within their immediate circle of influence and across the various functional domains that provide them with support

Being humble gives us the permission to work with anyone at any level at any time. It actually gives us power. The power of understanding.
 
So, if humility is all-powerful why do we so often view it as being a weakness? 
 
Primarily because it’s a label that society has placed on it as a behavior. The flawed thinking is that – if we aren’t well known, high ranking in our careers, accomplished, wealthy, and extremely intelligent then we are obviously not strong, only weak.
  
Without it, we can still lead, but we won’t be as effective because people want to be understood and accepted for who they are. This only happens when the artificial barriers we put up around ourselves come down. Humility does this.
  
Are you humble enough to understand and accept this?

Or are you OK with being that "overhead expense"?
 
#ceos #leadership #humility #execution

Learn more about humility and other character traits of quality leaders at https://lnkd.in/gXpc_pyu 

Who are the emerging leaders in your organization? Do you have any and if you do, what are you doing to care for and pay attention to them?

Eventually people leave. They may retire, find other jobs, or meet other unfortunate outcomes. This is why succession planning is critical to any organization's long-term success and viability, unless of course, you don't do it. 

Then you have a real problem.

Succession planning requires that you identify and develop the people within your company who have the potential to step into leadership roles when the need arises. The process is not just about filling empty positions; it's about ensuring a smooth transition, maintaining organizational stability, and securing your business's future.

Identifying emerging leaders is a fundamental aspect of succession planning. 

These individuals excel in their current roles and demonstrate the potential and willingness to take on greater responsibilities. By recognizing and actively working with these talents, you build a pipeline of leaders familiar with the company's culture, values, and longer-term objectives.

Identifying emerging leaders is not only a human resources task or responsibility; it is an organizational imperative that must involve everyone on the team.

When we invest in emerging leaders it ensures business continuity and adaptability. In this era of constant change, having a group of capable individuals prepared to lead is akin to fortifying your organization against unforeseen challenges. 

By recognizing and developing these leaders, you establish a dynamic reservoir of talent that can seamlessly transition into key positions, minimizing disruption and sustaining momentum.

Team members who can see a clear path for professional growth within their organization are more likely to commit to its long-term success. This commitment, in turn, helps create a positive workplace culture where the motivated contribute their best efforts, ultimately enhancing productivity and driving the organization forward.

Emerging leaders are also often catalysts for innovation. Their energy, enthusiasm, and openness to new ideas breathe life into stagnant processes making us "rethink" them and our overall approach to problem-solving.

If what I've described here doesn't exist in any part of your organization, or it's implied in your positional hierarchy only, then it's time to move forward to secure your organization's future.

As organizations embrace and understand what their future success looks like and how it's linked to the development of these rising stars, they position themselves to win today and thrive in tomorrow's uncertainties.

Again, I ask. Who are your emerging leaders and what are you doing for them?

#ceos #leadership #emergingleaders #execution

Emerging leaders know all about my weekly "Quick-Bytes" of leadership wisdom. You can too at https://lnkd.in/g6KSPxA4

An individual's accountability to their organization involves effectively fulfilling their daily job responsibilities and meeting their extended goals. These dual commitments are integral to driving organizational success.
 
When we get people focused and delivering on their daily responsibilities, who also understand that they have a role in helping the organization learn, improve, and grow, we have what we need to sustain organizational success.
 
Individuals who meet this standard are clearly "accountable."
 
However, too often this is not how we see accountability at work. Many people actually fear the idea of being "accountable." The word itself is one that, when we hear it, evokes feelings of failure or moves us to think, "What did I do wrong?" 
 
This is normal and not something we should fear in most organizations because accountability only becomes problematic when we don't understand it or sit by and don't say what's on our minds. 

This happens when we tell ourselves, "It's not my job, not my battle," whether we know it or not, either dealing with something positive or negative, being accountable for everything we do IS OUR JOB.
 
If you're not convinced, consider these examples of how we can "not be" accountable:
 
* Not being accountable is remaining quiet and to ourselves when we know the truth or have the right answer to a problem or challenge.
 
* Not being accountable is failing to question or have open dialogue when a critical project is not going well, proactively inviting new ideas or concerns into the conversation.
 
* Not being accountable is resisting to share with a colleague how they made you feel when they overrode your decision without telling you.
 
* Not being accountable is firing someone for performance after you, as their manager or leader, failed to hold them accountable while they were doing their job.
 
Being accountable can be one of the more difficult things we do, this is true in business and life. Yet, when we make the commitment, and hold ourselves to account for the things within our responsibility, both turn out better for us.
 
Making your people accountable or other accountability issues won't get fixed overnight in most companies. The steps required and real need is to teach our people empathy and how to be vulnerable with each other. 

When we can build trust and respect, in all our work and life relationships we can  effectively deal with conflict and other issues when they happen. 
 
This is where the need for true accountability resides.
 
Being "held to account" is the same as delivering results. Everyone should be someone who can be counted upon to deliver. 
 
This quote from The Minds Journal sums this up well, "Accountability feels like an attack when you're not ready to acknowledge how your behavior harms others."
 
Let's understand the true meaning of accountability. 
 
#ceos #execution #accountability #responsibility

For more weekly leadership wisdom: https://lnkd.in/gXpc_pyu

Without thinking, habits help shape our actions, behaviors, and the outcomes we receive from them. I'm exercising one of my habits (early riser) right now to share this post with you.
 
Forming good habits is one of the best decisions you can make for personal growth and business success. 

So why are forming good habits so significant to us?

A habit is a routine or behavior that is regularly repeated and often performed unconsciously. It's something you do regularly and almost automatically, often triggered by certain cues or situations.
 
Good habits provide the framework for discipline and consistency. When we develop positive routines, such as waking up early, exercising regularly, or finding time to read, we establish a foundation for productivity and personal development. 

Consistency and discipline enable us to stay focused on our goals, help us overcome obstacles, and be better humans.
 
When we need to streamline our daily activities, good habits make us more efficient and productive. When we prioritize tasks, manage our time effectively,  and set goals, we optimize our productivity and reduce procrastination. 
 
And there are more benefits, my favorite being the positive impact habits have on our overall well-being. 

Regular exercise, healthy eating, and practicing mindfulness improve our physical health and mental clarity. These habits boost energy levels, reduce stress, and enhance our ability to cope with adversity, leading to a happier and more balanced life.
 
Habits can help us grow and develop personally. By consistently engaging in activities that promote learning, self-improvement, and skill development, we expand our knowledge and broaden our perspectives. Forming good habits fuels this growth and helps us become the best version of ourselves.
 
Long-term success only happens when we make personal commitments driven by positive habits. They provide the structure and discipline needed to achieve our goals and see real progress. 

Success through habits can work for of us in many ways; career advancement, personal relationships, or financial stability.
 
Forming good habits takes time and doesn't happen overnight. Taking the smallest of steps each day can empower us over time to take control of our lives, and unlock our true potential. 
 
Remember, it's the accumulation of small habits that lead to significant and lasting change. Start today, and you can begin to witness the incredible impact that good habits can have on your life.
 
Habits are a powerful tool for shaping behavior, achieving goals, and sustaining success. Building positive habits and breaking detrimental ones, can guarantee individuals and organizations can optimize their performance. 

It's another way to execute.
 
#ceos #leadership #habits #execution
 
Another good habit would be to check out my "byte" of wisdom at https://lnkd.in/gXpc_pyu 

What would it take to convince you that building a culture of execution in your organization would help to create and drive a level of success that you’re not currently experiencing?
 
Fear of change and it’s impact on our position and profession is greater than the fear of changing itself.

Ignoring strategy execution can seriously affect any organization, creating barriers that include missed opportunities, wasted resources, and decreased competitiveness. 
 
Organizations that prioritize strategy execution and overcome these barriers are more likely to achieve success in the long run.
 
"To right an organization headed for trouble, leaders need to build a culture that supports strategy implementation." According to Rick Torben, senior international change management leader.
 
Torben adds, "It may be values, a strong vision, or a set of shared emotions, but still, rallying around culture has the inherent ability to get teams back on track and keep them there."
 
Here's the reality of what we're dealing with. Nearly 45% of CEOs, Senior Executives, and Business Owners have shared that the most difficult challenge they face is aligning their culture with the implementation of their strategy. (Boardview 2016)
 
And understandably so, as culture and strategy are inextricably linked and, when applied evenly against key business objectives, have the ability to create superior performance and results.
 
Every leadership team wants the results from the marriage of culture and execution, yet most are unwilling to do what it takes to make that happen.
 
To effectively align culture and strategy, leaders must establish a "foundation" within their business. One that will keep their mission, vision, values, behaviors and annual initiatives accessible to their teams and focused on at all times. 
 
Whether you think about it or not, these elements are ultimately how we define success for our organization. 
 
* Having a strong foundation means that your team members can relate to these at any time 
* Managing your people individually requires that you get them focused on where their strengths and passions reside and leverage them to the benefit of the business 
* Grounding your teams in what matters most (values and behaviors), never lets them depart from them 
 
Do these, and the rest will follow. 
 
Effective communication is also required to align strategy and culture. When you have it, team members willingly share their ideas and perspectives in an open and transparent environment, creating greater collaboration..
 
Last, uniformly measuring progress against your strategy on a regular basis will help your organization identify areas where it's succeeding and where it needs to improve. It's a big commitment, but worth the effort. 
 
Great things happen when a team focuses on aligning culture and strategy. 
 
When it happens, watch your achievements soar.
 
#ceos #leadership #organizationalchange #execution

There is dignity in all work. The question that confirms this is; Do you treat the people on your teams as humans, or as the necessary tools and resources required to get you to your objectives? 
 
The management philosophy of being “truly human,” popularized and written about by Bob Chapman, CEO of the Barry-Wehmiller Company, in his 2018 book “Everybody Matters” is based on the belief that when leaders prioritize the well-being and development of their team members, it can lead to not only a more compassionate and ethical workplace but also improved business performance.
 
Chapman believes many in our society suffer from a “poverty of dignity” when not recognized or given fair treatment or consideration in their work. 
 
As leaders, we must always remain conscious, if not vigilant, in our care and understanding of the people within our charge. How else does work get accomplished except through people?
 
Dignity is fundamental to the human experience, and it extends to all forms of work, regardless of its nature or perceived status. As humans we all want to contribute and be part of something bigger than ourselves.

For many, our work is that contribution.
 
Five things for everyone to remember about our people and their work:
 
1) Every job contributes to the functioning of society. Whether it's the janitor who keeps a building clean, the farmer who grows food, or the doctor who saves lives, each role serves a purpose.
 
2) Work provides individuals and their families the means to fulfill basic needs, such as food, shelter, and clothing. This part of work also expresses human dignity, enabling people to live comfortably and securely.
 
3) All work, regardless of its nature, offers opportunities for personal growth and upward mobility. It provides challenges, learning experiences, and the opportunity to acquire new skills, which enhance our sense of self-worth.
 
4) Recognizing the dignity in all work means valuing the individual behind the job. It's about respecting someone who mops floors, serves meals, or answers phones. Every worker deserves to be treated with respect and appreciated for their contributions.
 
5) Work provides many individuals with a sense of purpose and meaning in their lives. It offers a reason to get out of bed in the morning and contribute. There is a social element we gain from it. 
 
Recognizing and respecting dignity in all work is not only a matter of fairness, it places a value on the inherent worth of every individual and the role they play in our functioning society.
 
Truly Human Leadership recognizes the deep connection between a people-focused approach and long-term business success. 
 
As leaders, we must never lose sight of those things we cannot see. Extending dignity to all people and their work is one of those things we must honor.
 
Do you recognize it in your workplace?

#ceos #trulyhumanleadership #dignity #execution
 
For more leadership insights, check out https://lnkd.in/gXpc_pyu

Why is recognizing dignity in all work important?

What are the five things to remember about people and their work?

How can prioritizing team members' well-being improve business performance?

Some messages are worth hearing, over and over again. For many, it's the only way they "stick." This is one of them... 

Is it possible to create a “culture of execution” within an organization? A culture where everyone collectively focuses on the results and works tirelessly toward that end?
 
A culture of execution is one that values action, accountability, adaptability, and continuous improvement. It's a place where translating ideas into tangible outcomes ensures the organization's objectives will be put into practice. If we can move our ideas from vision to reality, we can execute on anything else with relative ease.
 
It's about having a plan of operation that is developed and aggressively pursued from the outcomes it needs to achieve. 
 
By predetermining these needed outcomes, organizations stay focused on the right priorities. They orchestrate plans that, once communicated throughout the organization, align our thinking and inform us on our progress. 
  
A CEO's first responsibility and most formidable challenge is seeing to the success of their enterprise. When they create a culture of execution, they significantly increase their odds of reaching those outcomes, leading their team to "greater levels of success." 

Having a culture of execution means going well beyond profitability and other financial metrics to achieve; 
 
 * Mission Fulfillment
 * Stakeholder Satisfaction
 * Employee Well Being 
 * Ongoing Organizational Sustainability and Vision Achievement
 
This also implies creating a "halo effect" that links a chain of success that includes; leadership, team members and their families, customers, suppliers, other business partners, and shareholders. 
 
It can mean an enduring legacy. A legacy built to last. 
 
However, to accomplish this, you must know that success just doesn't happen. 
Behind every successful business, there is a story, often long, hard-fought, and full of struggle. This is the side of a successful business that most can't see from the outside in. Its accomplished by developing a sustainable culture.
 
"Strategy Execution" may seem like another overused business term employed for the purpose of getting your people to get things done. Yet, the ability to master it can drive your success, change your fortunes, and your story. 
 
When you create a culture of execution, you provide the knowledge, tools, resources, and confidence for your people to succeed, to drive the results, those needed outcomes. 
 
Being able to effectively manage the performance of your people is at the heart of building a culture of execution.
 
Success in business never comes easy. Gaining a competency in managing execution is a great start. One that can bridge the gap between your current culture and the one you seek.
 
How would a culture of execution change your business?
 
#ceos #leadership #cultureofexecution #strategy
 
For personal help and to find out more DM me and check out https://lnkd.in/gXpc_pyu 

How can mastering strategy execution drive success?

What are some examples of a culture of execution?

How is performance management related to building a culture of execution?

Are you an “unlearner”? You might not know what that is and that would be completely understandable. It's a new concept to many.
 
Unlearning refers to the process of intentionally letting go of or re-evaluating knowledge, beliefs, habits, or behaviors that we have previously acquired or learned. It involves challenging those ingrained assumptions, biases, or outdated information that may no longer serve us.

If we fail to unlearn things, it has the unfortunate side-effect of hindering our 
personal growth and development.

Leadership is challenging and rewarding. As leaders we evolve through experience, our unique styles developing as we lead others. Earning recognition as a good or great leader only comes with change, that continual reassessment—it's a cycle of growth.
 
This is the dynamic state of management we live in. Where the speed of change and level of innovation required can dictate success or failure for us very quickly.

It forces us to figuratively "execute or die." 
 
So, what's a leader to do? When there is too much new leadership advice to choose from and our egos, old habits, and poor behaviors keep begging us to stay within the status quo, things get messy. 

We're often confused and uncertain as to how we get better.
 
Roy Osing, former CMO, author, blogger, and entrepreneur, offers some sage advice for today's leaders in his book, "BE DIFFERENT or Be Dead" (2022). Osing contends that what makes an "amazing" leader today can come down to two key activities: 
 
1) Stop Doing Stuff-"Great leaders treat removing stuff as a high priority, and they treat it as a core competency of their organizations that contributes vitally to their competitive advantage." He refers to this as "decrementing to create space" 

It's the antithesis of doing new incremental things where you get value by removing the old that takes up resources that could be used for new efforts.
 
2) Stop Reading So Many Books on Leadership-"It's not that textbooks and pundit readings are wrong necessarily; it's just that they're not good enough to make a leadership difference." 

Great leaders don't become great by following the paths of others. It's better to follow an imprecise path and make changes as you go, learning to execute as you move along that path.
 
It's about adapting, changing, and unlearning. Leaders must remain accountable to the organization's vision or potentially, the ship sinks with your team on board.
 
Meaningful and progressive change requires an open mind — the ability to challenge our assumptions and even our best thinking. When you are open to relearning, you are willing to reconsider what you’ve always believed to be true in an effort to find new or improved knowledge.
 
One final word of advice on unlearning: if you're not doing it enough, ultimately your leadership suffers. 
 
#ceos #leadership #unlearning #execution

For greater learning and leadership understanding, check out https://lnkd.in/gXpc_pyu

This journey we call life requires more than just book smarts and a little luck. It demands a set of essential "life skills" that can serve as our compass, helping to navigate real world complexities.

A "life skill" refers to the abilities or competencies we develop to negotiate the challenges and demands that impact our lives everyday. They are a necessity. 

They should begin to be taught an early age and carry through every level of our educational journey. They are essential for our personal development, well-being, and can help us to succeed in almost any aspect of our lives. 

They're not something you can fully acquire as you will need to continually develop them over your lifetime. They can create the foundation for a fulfilling and resilient life.

From a work perspective, these skills are reinforced in our ability to execute. They support our efforts to accomplish what we must get done and do effectively. Their application enhances our capacity to turn plans into actionable and achievable results, helping us navigate almost any challenge successfully. 

The following describes the necessary life skills important to our ability to execute. They are part of how we get the results we want:

Time Management helps us prioritize tasks, set deadlines, and learn how to allocate work and time against a set of objectives. This skill helps us stay organized and focused.

Clear and concise communication helps us coordinate our efforts with others, ensuring everyone understands roles and responsibilities. Effective communication creates collaboration, which ensures our actions as a team run effectively.

The ability to make informed decisions by evaluating options, considering potential outcomes, and making timely decisions is a life skill that requires critical thinking. It helps us with problem-solving and our ability to think and act strategically. 

Our ability to analyze situations, identify obstacles, and develop solutions are skills that create in us the discipline to execute. Being flexible and open to change allows us to navigate uncertainties more effectively.

Having clearly defined goals provides us with a roadmap for how we accomplish things. Goals focus and motivate us on the right priorities that lead to needed outcomes. It's in the management of the goal-setting process that execution occurs.

Life skills play an important role in our ability to execute as they provide us with the tools, resources, and confidence necessary to plan, adapt, communicate, and navigate our path toward achieving success. 

Developing and honing these skills can significantly contribute to successful execution in almost any aspect of life, whether personal pursuits, professional endeavors, or other social and community-based projects.

Do you use your life skills to help you execute and get things done?

#ceos #leadership #lifeskills #execution

Developing better work and life skills can start here https://lnkd.in/gXpc_pyu 

At the end of an operating year, how much time does your organization spend evaluating outcomes? Good or bad, profitable or unprofitable. How committed to understanding why things worked or not are you?

If I were a betting man, I would double-down on this answer: “we don’t spend any time looking back, we’ve already moved on.” 

It makes one think that we can't get past the embarrassment of not keeping our promise or commitment to our plan or strategy fast enough.

We should never be ashamed of our operating results, because when it comes down to being successful, as leaders, we all want the same things: 

*To lead and communicate effectively, 
*To share what we know so others will learn and benefit, and
*Ultimately, to win at our strategy and common purpose.

We can always have a hard or difficult year and still see our way forward to our vision. The importance comes in knowing why so we never repeat a difficult year.
 
We want and should expect success from leading successfully.
 
Still, we don't spend much time focused on what it takes to make that success happen. For example, do we think about how we were successful in accomplishing a goal or when we've done something exceedingly well? 

Do we ever break that outcome apart and re-engineer it from origin to completion, so we understand why it worked?
 
Probably not, unless you're an actual engineer, scientist, or a naturally curious individual.
 
No, we move on and do the next thing versus pausing, analyzing, documenting, and rethinking how we might have done it better. 
 
This is why we need a competency in strategy execution in every workplace. To rethink success and understand what it took to get to our results. 
 
We often employ postmortems when we fail at something or lose to a competitor. The impact of negative outcomes always seems to cause us to act. Why is their little or no reaction when we have a good outcome? 
 
Why not when we succeed?
 
When we have an agile execution discipline in place, we can master strategy execution. From there, we can easily monitor, measure, rate, and document any success (or failure) and memorialize it in the necessary detail to understand what transpired and what role we played in getting to the outcome.
 
This is a gift. It makes us better. It's actionable intelligence that we can guarantee our future success with. It's being proactive, learned, and helps us to re-commit to our purpose each year.
 
How do you ensure success leadership in your organization?
 
#ceos #leadership #execution #strategicsuccess

We’ve all heard the names, maybe we’ve even been called them; slacker, procrastinator, underachiever, dilly-dallier, QUITTER. These are the terms or phrases used to describe people who don't finish what they start.

We’ve all experienced not finishing something, it's not a good feeling and leaves a sour taste in our mouths. It’s defeat and not an enjoyable experience.

In the workplace, finishing what you start takes on even greater significance. It's not just a personal virtue but a professional necessity that profoundly impacts your career and organization's overall success.
 
When we fully understand strategy execution, finishing what we start is a given. If we're going to achieve what our business was built to achieve, we don't accept excuses or disappoint people. 
 
Completing tasks and projects is at the core of productivity and efficiency. When people on our team consistently finish what they start, it ensures that projects make progress and are completed on time. This leads to greater efficiency, reduced downtime, and increased output, resulting in initiatives being accomplished. 
 
Leadership teams value consistency and reliability in their team member's work. When you finish what you start, you demonstrate that you can be trusted to deliver results, you see things through to their conclusion. This reliability is crucial in building trust with all stakeholders. It informs leaders where to assign responsibility.
 
Half-finished work, no matter how good, is still incomplete work. 

A lack of discipline causes this and leads to poor quality and costly errors. By making execution its own discipline we complete assigned goals and tasks, we pay attention to detail, and we ensure that our final work product meets or exceeds expectations.
 
In a team-based work environment, finishing what you start as a team demonstrates accountability and creates mutual respect among team members. It proves that collaboration works and it creates a bond that repeats success. 
 
Being a "finisher" is also about personal and professional growth. The experience gained from completing projects and meeting deadlines provides valuable lessons that can be applied to future work and career development.
 
You set yourself apart from your peers when you become known as someone who delivers on their commitments. A positive reputation can open doors to opportunities and advancement in any organization. 

You chart your course for success, not someone else.
 
There is no room in the cycle of strategy execution for failing to finish. By its design, execution is about getting to the results. If you can't get there one way, you find another. 
 
In the strategy world, successful execution is almost always the difference between organizations that thrive and those that struggle to compete.
 
Does your organization believe in finishing what it starts?

#ceos #leadership #execution #finish

For more strategy execution wisdom visit https://lnkd.in/gXpc_pyu

In a world filled with political correctness, words wrapped in social niceties, and polished phrases, it feels like we've lost the ability to speak our minds directly and clearly.
 
Why is it so hard to say what we mean, and mean what we say?
 
We know this to be true because we find ourselves stepping around the truth, beating around the bush, and sugarcoating our words to avoid discomfort or confrontation. More and more we find ourselves doing this at work. We fail at having the hard conversation because we lack the ability to speak our minds, sharing our thoughts as we think them.  

Think about how different our communication with others would be if we took a moment to reflect on the power and liberation of unfiltered honesty.
 
Communication is the social core of human connection, yet we frequently find ourselves caught up in ambiguity and not saying what we mean. This is a trap of our own making. 
 
The fear of being misunderstood or hurting someone's feelings leads us to cover our real thoughts in layers of euphemism, making our messages murky or tempering them so as to not hurt anyone's feelings. 

The truth has a resonance of its own, and embracing raw honesty can be transformative and a growth experience.
 
Speaking one's mind is an act of courage, a declaration of authenticity that shows our sincerity. It helps develop genuine connections and lays the foundation for trust and mutual understanding because it's the real you. We invite others to do the same when we express ourselves clearly without covering up or sugarcoating the language. 
 
Honesty and transparency creates an environment where real conversations can take place and flourish, where ideas get civilly argued, clash, and evolve while relationships and our understanding of others deepens.
 
So, why do many of us shy away from speaking our minds directly? 
 
The answer lies in the fact that we've been conditioned to prioritize harmony over truth. The fear of judgment, rejection, or conflict has limited our voices. This is why it's crucial to recognize that true growth and understanding only occur when we embrace the discomfort of being honest, being ourselves wherever we are.
 
It's time that we all knock off sharing anything other than the truth. 
 
When we speak directly and clearly, we honor ourselves and those around us with the gift of authenticity. This doesn't mean disregarding empathy or tact; it's about finding that balance where our words are sincere and considerate, while still delivering accurate meaning.
  
By encouraging open and direct communication, we empower ourselves and others to break through the barriers of pretense and embrace the value of sharing the unfiltered truth. 
 
Is the unfiltered truth spoken in your organization or only talked about in the meeting after the meeting?
 
#ceos #leadership # #execution 
 
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When asking the question of why a large percentage of strategies either fail or fall short of expectations each year, common themes arise, such as poor execution, employee resistance, lack of alignment, and ineffective decision-making. 

These themes consistently emerge across various studies and surveys, highlighting areas where businesses must focus their efforts to improve their strategy execution and overall rate of business success.

Yes indeed, it's very evident that the disconnect between a strategy and its execution has never been more prevalent. Here’s why: 

Strategy and execution are co-dependent. You cannot have one without the other. 

Having a competency in strategy execution means that you can engage in better strategy-making. However, having a better strategy will not cause better execution to occur. It works one way but not the other.

To be successful, we must know and understand the difference between strategic thinking (strategy making) and the implementation of that strategy (strategy execution). Another misunderstood aspect is that the implementation of any strategy will take 10X the effort it took to develop it. Something most organizations aren't prepared to deliver.   

The inability to recognize strategy and execution as co-dependents stems from leadership teams not acknowledging that these are distinct yet interconnected disciplines, crucial to each other's success. Despite their interdependence, they require different approaches and constant attention if they are to be successful.

Diving deeper into strategy execution means having the skills, knowledge, and capabilities to translate strategy effectively into tangible results. It involves taking a formulated strategy and successfully implementing, monitoring, and measuring it to achieve your organization's annual objectives. 

Having a competency in strategy execution goes well beyond having a theoretical understanding of your strategy, as it requires; 

* practical expertise in coordinating the actions of many departments, functions, and people, 
* allocating the right resources across the organization,
* communicating the strategy repeatedly and effectively, and
* knowing how to adapt, pivot, or change the strategy when it comes up against the many challenges that arise during its formal execution.

While strategy and execution are clearly two distinct concepts, they are deeply intertwined when it comes to the pursuit of organizational success. 

A strong strategy provides direction and purpose, while effective execution works to turn that strategy into tangible results.

Organizations that develop competency in both strategy and execution are best positioned to achieve their long-term goals and thrive in dynamic business environments.

How is your organization's competency with strategy and execution?

#ceos #leadership #execution #strategy

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"Only three things happen naturally in organizations; one is friction, two is confusion, and three is under performance. Everything else requires leadership."

This famous quote by Peter Drucker reveals a startling truth about people, our work, and business in general. Despite how well we believe things are going, how well we are operating, it's likely were not executing or performing at a level that we could be.

In every organization, there's an inherent resistance to improvement and achieving our full potential. The key question is whether we're willing to acknowledge and address this resistance.

The reason we know this truth? It's our years of operating experience and the investments we have made in training programs, consultants, new processes, software purchases and other quick fixes we've made in an attempt to improve at what we do. None of which has stuck becoming a successful daily pattern of how we manage and contributing to our success. 

After enough attempts at improving, there comes a point where we've given up on executing better. We resist doing anything beyond trying to better our prior year financials. Our strategy each year is to double down on working harder. 

I know this because I hear the reasons when I discuss execution management with senior executives:

* "we already do something like that"
* "we're pretty good at execution"
* "we're too busy or the time's not right"
* "I can't ask my people to do one more thing, our plates our full"
* "that will never fly here" or
* "we're not disciplined enough to do that here"

We talk ourselves into not trying, we impose the hurdles on ourselves that limit our ability to be the best at what we do in our market segment or industry. We raise the white flag of surrender, only we don't talk acknowledge or talk about it. 

Knowing and understanding the forms of resistance to getting better at execution, can help you to address them. The challenge is this: it's a lot of work and it takes practice. 

If you've never looked into how to effectively manage execution, it could change your entire outlook on how your business operates and functions daily. You just have to summon the courage to try one more time. 

Otherwise, you can continue to "double down" and live with friction, confusion, and under performance, like Mr. Drucker said. 

#ceos #leadership #execution #strategies

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Why is finishing what you start important?

What are the benefits of being a 'finisher'?

How does finishing what you start impact productivity?

Have you ever wondered what sets exceptional leaders apart? It's not only about having a clear vision; it's about bringing that vision to fruition. It’s about delivering on needed results.  
 
Do you consider yourself an execution-focused leader? 

In a world where ideas are abundant but the ability to execute them is rare, execution-focused leaders stand out as the gold standard for how organizations are led to achieve their desired objectives. 

An execution focused leader effectively plans their work to allow the time to develop their people, understanding that having more true leaders will drive even more exceptional results. These leaders recognize that the strength of an organization resides in its personnel, those individuals who do the work and get things done.

As well directed and intentional as they can be, execution-focused leaders, like all leaders experience struggles. Consider some of the challenges they encounter:

· They may be viewed as being rigid and controlling in their pursuit of results.
· They may focus more on immediate tasks and goals that lead to neglecting longer-term objectives. 
· Getting things done often involves the rapid implementation of change, which can be met with resistance from team members accustomed to the status quo.  
· Pursuing execution excellence, at times, requires taking calculated risks and cause misjudgment or make us overly risk-averse. 
· While delegation is essential for scalability and efficiency, execution-focused leaders may struggle to delegate effectively for fear of losing control.  
· Despite being meticulous planners, setbacks and failures are inevitable in any execution process. 

These leaders may find it difficult to maintain morale and keep their team inspired when setbacks occur, or they may struggle to effectively learn from failures and adapt to change when necessary.

As priorities shift and projects evolve, maintaining alignment and communication across the team can become increasingly challenging. Execution-focused leaders must proactively communicate changes, ensure clarity of objectives, and keep their team members engaged and inspired.

Exceptional leaders not only envision success but make it happen with precision and determination, always focusing on the end results. In a business world where execution consistency is rare, they stand out as the example of effective leadership. Yet, they still face challenges, from managing resistance to change and balancing short-term wins with long-term sustainability. 

Despite these hurdles, they prioritize well-being and alignment and navigate uncertainty with flexibility and agility. 

It's demanding to be an execution-focused leader, but it's where true leadership shines and makes a difference in your business operations. 

Do you meet the standards of an execution focused leader?

#ceos #leadership #executionfocused #systems

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You've likely heard this before, still it remains true: Leadership is inherently challenging and difficult to do because it involves working with and guiding other people. 

And where people are involved, even the mundane and pedestrian can become messy. 

If you have leadership interests but lack a genuine interest in helping, supporting and leading others, perhaps exploring an alternative career path would be advisable.

Not everyone is cut out for leadership. It demands a distinctive merging of skills, character traits, and strategies capable of inspiring, guiding, and empowering followers. As a leader, it's vital to grasp that the path to success will be both arduous and gratifying.

Here are some core leadership principles, additional to those in the graphic, that help to describe what it takes for leaders to effectively lead others:

1) Effective leaders must listen well. They actively participate in dialogue and show empathy toward team members. They facilitate open and honest communication and create trust that makes their followers feel valued and understood.

2) Leaders must be adaptable in navigating change and uncertainty. Knowing that you must be flexible in your thinking and decision-making is crucial for leaders to exhibit with their followers.

3) Leaders instill confidence by setting a positive example. They demonstrate courage in the face of fear by answering challenges firmly and quickly. They inspire followers to tackle obstacles with the same determination.

4) Leaders trust their team members to carry out important tasks and responsibilities. Delegation empowers followers and allows them to grow and contribute increasingly to organizational success.

5) Leaders must hold themselves to account for their actions and inspire their teams to do the same. This accountability ensures that everyone is committed to achieving the needed outcomes of the organization. 

6) Leaders recognize that the strength of their team is a reflection of their leadership. They acquire and assemble diverse and complementary skills that eliminate team weaknesses. 

7) Effective leaders lead with a strong purpose and adhere to a strong set of core behaviors. Followers must know there are commitments and consequences for not adhering to what the organization believes in.

Leadership isn't simply a title or a position; it's a profound commitment to the growth, well-being, and success of others. As you consider taking a leadership journey, remember it's not for the faint of heart. 

If you choose to take this path, do so with humility, candor, and an unwavering dedication to the collective success of your team. Embrace the journey, because it's more than just reaching the highest destination, its about the lives you touch and the positive influence you will leave behind.

#ceos #leadership #coreprinciples #execution

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