Winning through Execution

Author: Xie Wenhui
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-05-01
Features: People often attribute many failures to strategic decision-making errors. But in most cases, the strategy itself is not the cause, and the tactics are also not wrong. So, what is the real reason for corporate failure? I believe everyone deeply agrees with the following statement: Many companies often have a basket full of strategies and visions, but they deliberate without reaching a decision, talk but don’t act, and end up with "slogan management." Strategies and visions are not implemented into specific goals and plans, nor are goals and execution methods listed on a timeline, nor are rewards and penalties established based on progress. The management of these companies is often rough and unrefined, merely following basic rules and regulations in a standardized manner. Such companies inevitably suffer from a kind of "organizational periphery nerve paralysis," where employees become more lethargic the closer they get to the critical grassroots level. They are accustomed to indifference, carelessness, and doing just enough to get by; when they do take things seriously, they become rigid and inflexible. They privately make excuses for themselves: "After all, what does the company have to do with me?" When reforms come, they bow their heads, wait for the storm to pass, and then revert to their old ways. In organizations with poor execution, employees have no idea what should be done, what shouldn’t be done, what requires full effort, and what can be handled with ease. They have no concept of what needs to be done in the short term or in the medium to long term. Such grassroots employees exist in large numbers in every company. There are also other manifestations of poor execution that we have long become accustomed to: For example, top management fails to set a good example, so their orders are not followed; management is inconsistent, unable to follow through; management policies are often changed overnight, leaving employees confused and unable to effectively implement even good policies; policies lack specificity and feasibility, or are too cumbersome, making execution difficult. Every policy the company sets becomes a "golden handcuff" for the executor, increasing their resistance. Another example is overly complex processes, lacking scientific evaluation, supervision, and reward systems.
A management fable vividly illustrates how a lack of execution leads to internal friction and resource waste within a company: Jesus, with his disciple Peter, was traveling when they found a broken horseshoe. They exchanged it at the blacksmith for three coins and used the money to buy a dozen cherries. Outside the city, they continued their journey through a vast wilderness. Jesus saw that Peter was very thirsty and quietly dropped a cherry from his sleeve. Peter, seeing it, quickly picked it up and ate it. Jesus kept dropping cherries as they walked, and Peter had to bend his waist seventeen or eighteen times to pick them up. Jesus then smiled and said to him, "If you had done what I wanted from the start, you would have bent down only once, and I wouldn’t have had to keep throwing cherries. You wouldn’t have had to bend your waist endlessly later." This fable highlights a problem: The thoughts of corporate leaders often fail to be effectively aligned with those of employees. A lack of execution turns all the leader’s work into mere words or empty talk.
Walmart’s ability to grow from small to large, from weak to strong, and to gradually widen the gap between itself and its competitors lies in its success formula: continuously developing ways that suit its business needs within traditional models, fully utilizing them, and executing them without compromise. In contrast, many companies with poor execution suffer from a common "ailment": many managers enjoy making decisions and assigning tasks, but they fall short in execution and implementation, leaving the tasks and decisions they set up unfulfilled. Without a doubt, a lack of execution is the biggest "black hole" in management.
On the leadership side, the epitome of execution is Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, and Lou Gerstner, former CEO of IBM. On the employee side, the epitome of execution is Colonel Robert Blake in "The Man Who Sent a Letter to Garcia." Almost everyone believes that "The Man Who Sent a Letter to Garcia" praises loyalty and dedication, but we prefer to think it advocates for execution ability and execution culture. When Colonel Blake received the letter from the U.S. President, he didn’t know where Garcia was. He only knew that his one task was to enter a perilous country and find the man. Without hesitation or demands, he took the letter, turned around, and immediately took action with full dedication. He was determined, fearless, overcame all distractions, and did everything in his power to reach his goal as quickly as possible. Yes, that is the greatest execution! This spirit is the execution culture we advocate.
Everything shows that strengthening execution is the top priority in corporate management. The key is to take immediate action toward the goal. Jack Ma of Alibaba and the global top venture capitalist Masayoshi Son both independently agree: "Third-rate ideas combined with first-rate execution are always better than first-rate ideas combined with third-rate execution." No matter how well a plan is calculated, it’s better to roll up your sleeves and start now. The most important thing is to solve one problem at a time during execution, remain determined, and persist. Eventually, you will always reach your destination. Who among the successful people of this era did not achieve their success this way?