Last issue’s “C” Note Quote winner is...

“Either You Die or You’re Good.” Daniel Kivi, a 33-year-old BASE jumper, shared this with us during our Norway Stretch Expedition. He has 600 BASE jumps “under his belt,” from 3,000 to 12,000 foot peaks/cliffs around the world.

Five jumps in one day, night jumping during a full moon, landing on a trampoline – just some of the opportunities for a young man who loves nature, and loves the adrenaline rush.

He also said he loses 2-3 friends a year from BASE jumping, most accidents tied to “human error, pushing the edges” with wind, weather, and GoPro videotaping.

Daniel emphasized the importance of preparation, communication, and execution – and said he still gets nervous before every jump.

As I reflect on Daniel’s comments, I think about business and what we can do as leaders to breathe more life into our companies. Either you die, or you’re good.

This issue of our newsletter has an “execution” focus, with a “stretch” overlay.

Enjoy the newsletter, have a fantastic 4th quarter, and please keep Daniel Kivi’s comments in mind as you think about your next “strategic jump.”

Jeff Proutyjeff.prouty@proutyproject.com

P.S. Please be on the lookout for our new website. A special, and big big, thanks to Anne Berg, Vyway Market & Brand Strategy, for her help in creating the magic.

Mack Traynor, ReconRobotics, Inc.

Mack knew that Tim Cook, CEO, Apple, said the following: “The most important thing is, do you have the courage to admit that you’re wrong? And do you change? The most important thing to me as a CEO is that we keep the courage.”

Congratulations, Mack! Mack says, “Since the quote was from Tim Cook, I think I'll buy a half share of Apple stock!”

Know the quote?If you know who said this quote, please send an email to: melissa.gennert@proutyproject.com or call 952.942.2922 by Wednesday, November 1; one guess per person. If we have more than one correct answer, we throw those names into a hat and draw the winner of a $100 gift card.

Mack Traynor

ISSUE 120

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Stretching in Norwayby: Sam Smithsam.smith@proutyproject.com

The 2017 Stretch Expedition took us to Norway. It felt like the perfect part of the world for this expedition in part because none of the 18 previous stretches had taken place in Scandinavia and Norway provided an opportunity to combine kayaking, camping, and hiking. And, I'm Minnesota born and raised. The homeland was calling.

Eighteen stretchers left Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport June 21, 2017 ranging in age 16-67. As with all stretches participants range in experience from world adventurer to first-time international traveler and fitness levels from CrossFitter to the average Joe. That's some of the magic, everyone has an individual experience within the context of the group based on where they are and what they want from the adventure. Our job is simply to provide a forum in which people can connect, stretch, and grow. As an added bonus, I had the opportunity to experience this amazing adventure with my lovely bride, Maureen.

It is no surprise that Norway has been written up as one of the most beautiful countries on earth (Lonely Planet) and when you meet the people, you understand that they really are the happiest people in the world (World Happiness

Report 2017). Kjell Strand (Rogaland Aktiv - www.rogalandaktiv.no), was our passionate, knowledgeable, and experienced guide whose greatest desire was to provide a customized experience. He fully delivered. Kjell had a plan that involved kayaking the Fjords from our island basecamp Kalvoy, Stavanger then climbing the 4,444 wooden stairs in Florli, ascending Kjerag to Kjeragbolten and finally climbing to the lookout at Preikestolen (the Pulpit Rock). Every aspect of the adventure was spectacular. What made the trip truly unique however was, that which was unplanned. Given the unpredictable weather, Kjell was very thoughtful in his backup plans. As he said, "you must always have a plan two." One particular "plan two" took us to the island municipality of Kvitsoy where we hiked for hours, saw more sheep than people, explored WWII bunkers, visited a lobster fishing museum, and watched the power of the North Sea crash the shores of the main island. This unplanned detour turned out to be one of the highlights of the whole trip. Never underestimate the opportunity that lies in "plan two."

The Norway Stretch provided as much variety as you could ask for and as much challenge as you wanted. It had something for everyone. As we like to say, any stretch is "challenge by choice." That's the key in any stretch experience. It's personal. Everyone begins from a different starting point. Everyone's stretch is very personal. You don't even need to travel to the other side of the Atlantic to create a stretch experience for yourself. The key is to find your personal "stretch point." A "stretch point" is that place which you find yourself from which you have the opportunity to stretch beyond where you are in the direction of where you want to be. It can take many forms and the potential is limitless when you begin with curiosity in search of insights and you're willing to take action for growth.

I hope you'll consider joining us on a future Stretch Expedition but even more, I hope you'll be on the lookout for the "stretch points" in your day-to-day life and make a commitment to grasping them fully.

Jeff Prouty

“C” NOTE QUOTE:“As a driver, you need to be willing to push everything around you to the limit, including your cars, your crew, your body and even the other drivers, to win.

If you’re not willing to lose, to push your car to the point of wrecking, you’ll never win. This can come with consequences – some planned, some unplanned.”

Join us! 2018 Stretch Expedition: Cambodia February 21-March 4, 2018. Participants will have the opportunity to care for disabled and street children, renovate a classroom and outdoor area, and experience the history and rich culture of both the city and countyside. For more information contact jayna.wallace@proutyproject.com or call 952-942-2922.

4ROADBLOCK

ROADBLOCK: THE LEADERSHIP TEAM CLEARLY UNDERSTANDS WHAT IT HAS TO DO, BUT THE STRATEGIC PRIORITIES STILL AREN’T GETTING DONEWith no time or space to work on the business instead of in it, a team’s daily firefighting efforts can quickly consume their ability to execute strategic priorities. This is particularly challenging because strategic priorities often require support from multiple functions within the business, and it is difficult to find the time required to coordinate efforts and resolve any issues that might be getting in the way.

It’s one of those laws of the human nature: there’s nothing like the pressure of an upcoming meeting to jolt us out of procrastination mode. Not only do regular checkpoints create personal accountability, they also provide a forum to remove barriers and coordinate efforts.

SOLUTION: HOLD WEEKLY MEETINGSA weekly leadership team meeting establishes a cadence of accountability that ensures strategic priorities move forward toward completion. It also creates the time and space for the critical conversations and knowledge sharing that removes potential barriers and ensures alignment among the team.

While most people feel the last thing they need is another meeting, making time to talk as a team is actually a time management tool. It is far more productive than trying to connect the dots one by one. And it creates a forum for personal accountability, celebration, sharing best practices, and practicing group problem solving.

Make sure each meeting is at the same time, same place, starts on time, ends on time, and follows the same agenda each week. Use those precious minutes together to focus only on the strategic priorities. Identify whether the priorities are on track or off track. Assign any weekly to-dos to support the priorities, and clear any barriers that may be getting in the way. Most importantly, be vigilant with your time. Eliminate all storytelling and conversations about the daily whirlwind. Focus on the task at hand.

With so many people and initiatives to coordinate, executing a strategic plan is never an easy task. Fortunately, there are now several systems and tools available today to help ensure your plan is successful. Regardless of the system you choose, always remember: the system is only as effective as the people running it. It always comes back to leadership. And there’s never any greater tool than looking teammates in the eye, holding each other accountable, and working together to remove any barriers that arise.

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ROADBLOCK: NOT BEING STRUCTURED FOR SUCCESSIn his book, “Good to Great,” Jim Collins uses the analogy of a company’s CEO as a bus driver who needs to decide where the bus is going, how it’s going to get there, and who is going along for the ride. While most people assume the journey should start with announcing where the bus is going (sharing the vision) and getting the people on board to take it there, Collins argues the really transformative companies actually start by getting the right people on the bus and then deciding where to take it.

In today’s rapidly changing environment, if you start with “who” rather than “what,” you will be positioned to more easily adapt. Unfortunately, most organizations struggle to make the tough decisions necessary to get the right people on the bus and the wrong people off it. As a result, leaders tend to take an outdated organizational structure and the current team, and try to shoehorn them into the current strategy.

Successfully executing a strategic plan requires leadership capital. There’s no way around that. And leadership capital comes from having clearly defined roles and responsibilities, as well as the people in those roles who live your values, and who ultimately understand the job, want it, and have the natural inclination to do it well.

SOLUTION: CREATE A CLEAR ACCOUNTABILITY CHARTCreating an accountability chart helps get the right structure in place by forcing leadership to address any people issues that are impeding success.

Different from an org chart, an accountability chart looks at the primary functions of the business and outlines the top 5 responsibilities for each of the leadership roles within those functions. This process continues, until you’ve outlined all of the roles throughout the organization that support those functions. By successfully identifying the right seats in this manner, you can then successfully put the right people in them.

For a person to be right for a seat they must fit two criteria. They must live your core values. And they must understand the job, want the job, and have the natural abilities to do it well.

Often, leaders subconsciously try to cheat this process one of two ways to avoid making the really tough decisions. Either they put a person in a seat that is an incredible performer, but doesn’t live the core values. Or, they place a person who lives the core values and is loved by people throughout the organization, but isn’t a good fit for the role. Both mistakes will ultimately impede the success of the organization and its strategic plan. Only with the right people in the right seats can the plan get successfully executed.

It’s a tale we see all too often. We work with the members of a leadership team to create an inspiring and potentially transformative strategic plan, and they leave motivated to tackle the world. A few weeks later when the reality of daily business sets in, our conversations take a different tone. Inspiration quickly turns to overwhelm when the team realizes how much has to get done to achieve the vision, and how little time exists every day to do so. The team is left scratching their heads wondering, “Where do we even start?”

As Ram Charan said: “70 percent of strategic failures are due to the poor execution of leaders. It’s rarely for lack of smarts or vision.” This is why the most critical juncture in the strategic planning process is transforming the words on a page into day-to-day action. Armed with a greater understanding of the roadblocks that can stand in the way, and some practical tools to help you overcome them, your team can become empowered to work even more effectively to achieve each of the goals outlined on your strategic plan.

70 percent of strategic failures are due to the poor execution of leaders. It’s rarely for lack of smarts or vision.

—RAM CHARAN

by: Andrea West

andrea.west@proutyproject.com

Why Strategic Plans Fail To Get ExecutedThe 4 Most Common Road-blocks and What You Can Do About Them

ROADBLOCK: NOT CREATING A POSITIVE CULTURE OF ACCOUNTABILITY Often leaders are hesitant to create measurable expectations and a culture of accountability. Perhaps holding people to task seems too harsh, too dictatorial, requires too much effort, or seemingly takes the human side out of business.

In reality, it is human nature to crave accountability. Regardless of what we do every day, we all want to know we’re succeeding. No one wakes up in the morning hoping to fail. By defining the parameters of success, you’re not only able to identify potential shortcomings, but more importantly you can help people to know and celebrate when they are winning.

SOLUTION: KEEP SCOREYou may have heard the phrase, “What gets measured gets done.” But where leaders struggle is in identifying the right measures of success. Instead of focusing on what can be influenced, they typically look to lag measures. Sure, lag measures are easier to

get. And they are directly linked to the desired outcome. Unfortunately, they also are not influenceable. You only know you have a problem after it arises, and at that point, it’s tough to turn it around.

After you’ve identified your goals, build a scorecard to monitor if you’re on track. Be crystal clear about the difference between lead and lag measures. Lag measures measure the goal. Lead measures identify the things that lead to the goal. Lead measures are predictive of success and can be influenced by the team, which is why they are essential to track.

Your scorecard should capture the 5-15 measures and a goal for each of them in one location. Examine it weekly to help foretell your financial future and give you a chance to intercede before bigger problems arise. Boiling the organization down to good, hard data helps to cut through all of the subjectives, personalities, opinions, and egos that can sometimes derail decisions that are in the best interest of the business. The very act of measurement creates clarity and change.

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” ROADBLOCK: TRYING TO TACKLE TOO MUCH ALL AT ONCEWe often tell our clients, “You will significantly overestimate what you can achieve in one year.” This isn’t to be a buzzkill. It is to help teams identify realistic goals that will keep the team engaged and feeling successful. All too often, leadership teams are comprised of the people who have visionary ideas and the risk tolerance to give them a try. As a result, these teams are susceptible to two potentially fatal flaws of execution. First, their vision may not align with their capacity to deliver, and they wind up being spread too thin. Second, they might chase every good idea that comes their way rather than staying focused on their goals, and they wind up being spread too thin.

Chris McChesney, Global Practice Leader of Execution for FranklinCovey, and one of the primary developers of The 4 Disciplines of Execution, frequently talks about the two opposing forces in every organization. On the one hand, there’s the “whirlwind” or “day job,” which is all the work needed just to keep the organization running. It is omnipresent. It is always urgent in nature, and therefore it is always demanding attention. On the other hand, there is the strategic plan – all of the goals to move the organization forward. While the goals are

important, they never have the same level of urgency as the whirlwind. So when the important goals go toe-to-toe with the urgent whirlwind, the whirlwind wins every time.

In this environment, there is a natural limit to what can actually get done. It is known as the law of diminishing returns. If you focus on 2-3 things, you’ll get 2-3 things done. If you focus on 4-10 things, you’ll get 2-3 things done. And if you try to focus on 11 or more things, you’ll get nothing done, because you are spread far too thin to actually achieve any of your goals.

SOLUTION: FOCUS ONLY ON THE 2-3 MOST IMPORTANT THINGSThe solution is to get your team to focus. Prioritize the 2-3 things that are essential to move you toward your vision. If you had to pick, what is the one area your team would want to improve most in order to achieve the vision? Which battle matters most? Only after you’ve won those battles should you add the next ones.

Doing less may seem counterintuitive to your ultimate aim of moving the organization forward, but creating this level of discipline will actually get you farther faster, with less wasted time and frustration along the way.

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