Your Execution [BLANK] System

How the heck do you lead strategic doing? And how do you show your clients how to do it for themselves? Terms like business operating system and execution management system are bandied about... But these don't really capture strategic doing, right?

To capture what you do - the way in which you're leaving an indelible positive impact with your clients - we need to help them install execution leadership. You've delivered the strategic growth project plan. How do you help turn it into reality? By creating and guiding implementation of an Execution Leadership System. Growth-Drive can show you how. 

Consider this: as the business advisor you are guiding the senior leadership team, teaching them how to collaborate and be accountable - as a team - to the shareholder goals. But all too often there is no established system that guides leadership. So we refer to the proven system deployed by Growth-Drivers as an Execution Leadership System (ELS), because it is the system that the CEO and their team will use to drive the business forward. They are not managing execution, they are leading it.  

Whether you're an Exit Planning Wealth Advisor or a down-in-the-trenches Business Coach you need to have a firm grasp on the concepts outlined here. Why? Because this is how you stay relevant with your client at every stage of their journey from status quo to reaching their personal and professional wealth goals. 

During your client discovery discussions you'll get clarity about the existence and status of the business’ operating systems, if any - which is why Growth-Drive provides you with a simple audit checklist. Here are five key questions to about whether your client has an adequate system:

1. Is there a system for establishing priorities?
2. Is there a standard system for converting priorities into action?
3. Is there a cadence of accountability, communication and alignment?
4. Do they prepare, share and discuss a weekly scorecard?
5. Are they operating in a 90 day world? 

A CEO giving orders is not a system, it’s a dictatorship and a drag of strategic capacity, especially on value capacity.  Helping them install and use a permanent Execution Leadership System drives strategic capacity: growing profits and transferable value.

What is the ELS? In a word it's communication. And meetings = communication. A successful execution leadership system is rooted in effective communication through a repeated rhythm of meetings. If you do nothing else, guide your clients to instituting these meetings using the principles described here - this repeated communication is transformative. Successfully reaching goals depends on the constant communication delivered through a rhythm of meetings. We share agendas for:

• The Annual Meeting: Strategy Development and Alignment
• Quarterly Meetings: Strategic Development and Staying on Pace 
• Monthly Meeting: Connecting Strategy and Tactics
• Weekly Meetings: Focus on Team-Level Tactical Execution
• Daily Huddle: Micro-Tactical Tracking

What's in it for your client? Fewer meetings, meetings that have a higher impact; and a coordinated system of meetings that create alignment around goals and actions.

If you've read the work of giants like Harnish in Scaling Up and Wickman in Traction then you already know the impact of well-run meetings. Growth-Drivers are trained to take the concept further by connecting the rhythm of meetings to growth-driving objectives and key results, guiding senior leadership as they implement the practices of best-in-class businesses. It's all about increasing strategic capacity, with tempo. 

You might have picked up through our articles that the Growth-Drive methodology is built on implementing the Growth-Driving Objectives of best-in-class businesses -the practices that a PEG would install in a portfolio company. The Annual and Quarterly meetings focus on strategy and strategic execution. In these meetings you focus on Growth Goals and Growth-Driving Objectives; monthly meetings connect strategy and tactics by focusing on Key Results, and the weekly meeting is all about tactical execution and Key Results. Daily team huddles keep all hands on tempo. 

Growth-Drive is the system used by this membership community of senior pros. We grow profits and transferable value. You can learn every step of the engagement journey, we make it easy. This includes everything from big picture training to the nitty-gritty like agendas for your client's meetings, plus training and support as you lead your clients forward. Expanding your reach and relevance starts with the Launch Course; and as always we're here to help with questions. 

We'd love to know what you think, please comment here or email blog@growth-drive.com.

This article is adapted from George Sandmann's book Growth-Drive, coming soon from Advantage | FORBES. Joining the publication updates list is easy: just click here.