Summary of the Four Disciplines of Execution (4DX)
Most of us don’t have a problem with planning or strategy, but execution is where the work is. Execution is hard; it’s our weakness. The Four Disciplines of Execution is an amazing leadership and personal development book that proposes four principles for solving this key weakness we all share. The four fundamental disciplines for effective execution are:
1. Focus on the wildly important goals
2. Act on lead measures
3. Keep a compelling scoreboard
4. Create a cadence of accountability.
On the surface, these principles are quite obvious. It’s like those simple things that you think you know, you probably even talk about them sometimes, but it’s easier said than done. The 4DX focuses on the actions, providing focus, commitment, engagement, and accountability.
1. Focus on the Wildly Important Goals(WIGs)
The first discipline is the discipline of focus. We all know that focus is important, but how often do we fall into the trap of focusing on too many goals? Too many!
In the book, the writers explain that a lack of focus or focusing on too many goals can spread resources too thin, create divided attention, and decrease effectiveness. There’s an inverse relationship between the number of goals and the execution. The greater the number of goals, the lesser the possibility for execution and vice versa.
For teams and organizations, one or two WIGs is enough and these WIGs should be such that they have the greatest impact on the organization if achieved. They should be clear, specific and aligned with the mission of the organization.
You can achieve more by focusing on less and by saying no to a lot of great ideas because you have to focus on one wildly important goal that can make the greatest impact.
2. Act on Lead Measures
The second discipline is the discipline of commitment which requires that you act on lead measures. Lead measures are goals which you can influence and which have predictable outcomes. The predictable outcomes of lead measures are the lag measures. Lag measures such as revenue, profit, customer satisfaction, etc are goals which you cannot directly control because by the time you are measuring them, they’ve already happened and there’s nothing you can do to change them.
A wise man once said, “You can lead LEAD MEASURES but LAG MEASURES could leave you lagging behind because you can’t control them directly.” That wise man is me.
Get Toju Kaka’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
While you cannot directly control lag measures you can influence them by using lead measures. Examples of lag measures and their corresponding lead measures are shown in the table below:
In the table above, you can see that making more outbound calls and follow-ups is within the control of the team and by doing more of that, the team can increase sales revenue.
“From X to Y by when”
The formula for creating WIGs and lead measures is “from X to Y by when”. In creating WIGs or lead measures, make sure that there’s a start point(X), an endpoint (Y) and a timeframe(when) for achieving the goal.
WIGs are lag measures. Most of the goals which are set by organizations are lag measures. Managers love lag measures because they are easier to measure and they can make you sound glorious when you say them. It’s more prestigious to say, we increase sales revenue by X% than to say we increase outbound calls to new prospects by X%.
Lead measures are so simple that you are bound to ignore, neglect or undermine them, but remember that the little things are big because they add up and compound over time. Paying attention to the simple little things is critical, but it could be boring. This is where the third discipline comes in.
3. Keep a Compelling Scoreboard
The third discipline is the discipline of engagement. Keeping a compelling scoreboard involves creating a visually appealing and simple scoreboard that tracks progress towards attaining the WIGs. This removes the boredom and (if done right) the drudgery of keeping track of lead measures. People engage more with goals when they can see progress which gives them a feeling that they are winning.
What you can’t define, you can’t measure; what you can’t measure, you can’t improve; and what you can’t improve will degrade
A good scoreboard should be easily visible, simple, and easy to understand. The teams should be able to tell at a glance if they are winning or not, and how far away they are from hitting the WIG. A good scoreboard should contain lead and lag measures and it should not be filled with unnecessary statistics or parameters. Keep it simple and straightforward - KISS!
Usually, after setting a great WIG, acting on lead measures and creating a compelling scoreboard, what happens is that people get fired up and motivated. But motivation is temporary and could wane over time because there is a whirlwind of activities competing for our time and attention. There’s a need for a way to keep the fire burning and this is where the fourth discipline comes in.
4. Create a Cadence of Accountability
The fourth discipline is the discipline of accountability. It is often considered the most critical discipline in the 4DX because it sustains the other three disciples over time. The cadence of accountability helps teams to continue making progress by doing regular, periodic and habitual meetings.
In these meetings the team talks about accomplishments made from last week, the key learnings for this week’s progress and new commitments that will drive further progress for the next week.
The goal here is to make team members accountable to not only the management but also to themselves. When this cadence of accountability becomes a habit and a part of the work culture of the team and organization, then the 4DX is set in momentum to help curtail the distractions from the whirlwind of activities that can slow down the execution of the goals that truly matter — the wildly important goals.
The Four Disciplines of Execution by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey and Jim Huling is a must-read for leaders and managers who want to align teams with the organisation’s goals amid the whirlwind of daily demands. It’s also meant for entrepreneurs, project managers, sales professionals and individuals who want to learn to execute tasks and achieve their goals effectively.
