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Rhythm - How to Achieve Breakthrough Execution and Accelerate Growth

By Patrick Thean

dateMon, Mar 10, 2014 @ 07:00 PM

All companies that reach out to Rhythm Systems to explore how we might help them have one thing in common. They believe that they need to do better. Some of them are trying to solve current problems. Some are trying to head off future challenges:

• "We are facing some challenges that we are not sure our current teams are equipped for. Please help to equip us!"

• "We just blew by $100MM. That’s great! We’ve never run a business north of $100MM. What can we do to be proactive and run this company right in order to capture the opportunities in front of us?"

• "We seem to be getting in our own way, and it takes longer and seems more difficult to get things done. Can you just help us to get out of our own way and execute better?"

Most of our clients graduated to a place where what they used to do that worked great might not work so well anymore. They have either already encountered problems that they did not feel equipped to solve, or their spider sense has started buzzing, and they believe danger is around the corner. But, they are not sure what danger looks like, how to predict it, and how to overcome it. They want the confidence to execute and capture the wonderful future that is ahead of them.

 Gazelles Systems Think-Plan-Do Rhythm

Confidence contributes tremendously to great execution. If you start losing confidence, decision-making typically becomes tentative, leading to slower execution. Execution is a curious thing. It is multifaceted and non-linear. Some people make the mistake of thinking that execution is linear and only about metrics and processes. Step by step by step. That is Execution 101. It's a good start, but don't allow your journey towards great execution to be limited by just metrics and processes. Great execution comes from being able to predict, prepare, do, and adjust in order to adapt to what life throws at you. My book, Rhythm, suggests three rhythms to help you execute strongly through everything that life throws at you:

• Think Rhythm 

    To keep you focused on the strategic direction of your company 

• Plan Rhythm -

    To develop your execution plan so that all teams and individuals know what they are supposed to do

• Do Rhythm 

    To actually do the work, observe, and make the necessary adjustments to stay on track

These three rhythms are not linear. Rather, they work together to help you to predict, prepare, and do the work to execute your plan well towards achieving great outcomes and results. Great execution means that you constantly center yourself on where you are going and realign your resources and work to get there. Realignment is not about making big changes. The need for big changes is usually quite apparent and therefore hard to miss. Realignment is about making the small adjustments that you will probably miss if you do not stay vigilant. I refer to these small adjustments as Minor Majors (Minor Majors are minor adjustments that give you major differences in outcomes).

Lesson: Great execution is about staying vigilant and taking advantage of Minor Majors - minor adjustments that reward you with major results.

 

 

 

Patrick Thean

 

Photo Credit: iStock by Getty Images