THE ECLECTIC CLERIC - “Execution”

In sport we see it so often it’s become a cliche. When it comes right down to the final seconds, when it’s crunch time and the game is on the line, the ONLY thing that really matters is whether or not your team can EXECUTE. Sure, it’s nice to have the right people in the line-up, and the perfect game plan all prepared. But unless those people can get it done -- perform in real time what you’ve drawn up on paper -- you might as well all just go home.

And it doesn’t just happen in sports. It’s a problem in business and in every other human organization I can think of, including churches. In fact, especially churches -- where so much to the important work is done by volunteers, with limited time, minimal training, an abundance of good ideas and a very complicated playing field.

But here are some ideas for better execution, both at church and in the wider world:

• Keep it Simple. Circumstances will complicate matters plenty on their own. So plan and stick to something that you know you can make work, and that will have the most meaningful impact. As my Dad (a process improvement consultant, among many other things) often says, it’s more important to do the right things than to try to do everything right. So concentrate on figuring out what those things are, and keep it all as simple as possible.

• Plan to Practice. Practice to Improve. I don’t think anyone ever does things perfectly the first time around, and for most of us perfection is just an abstract goal anyway. But recognize that there is a learning curve to any activity, and plan to take advantage of that by integrating what you learn into your plan.

• Know your Role and your Goals. Sometimes it really helps to figure out what to do if you know the outcome you are hoping to achieve. And likewise, if each “player” on the team knows and understands what his or her role is, it becomes a lot easier for everyone to work together in harmony.

To turn this around for just a moment, one of the essential tasks of Leadership is to be able to communicate that vision, and to explain and teach to every member of their team exactly what is expected of them, and how to accomplish it.

Rarely do organizations fail for lack of good ideas. Most folks I know have more good ideas in the course of a week than they could every hope to accomplish in a lifetime. The key is to focus on the RIGHT ideas, to keep the process as simple as possible, and to continue to practice and improve until you can execute like clockwork in crunch time EVERY time. That’s what seperates the winners from the losers, and the champions from the also-rans. And it really is in your hands now. So hands in, on three: TEAM!...............twj