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How To Execute and Make Things Happen – 8 Practical Steps for Success · Enhance.training

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_00: How to execute and make things happen is a set of skills needed to turn ideas into reality.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Many businesses place too much emphasis on those with good ideas, which is maybe 5 to 10% of a solution, and don't emphasize the execution skills needed to turn ideas into concrete action and results.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: The 90% plus of the solution and the hard part.
• 0:25
  SPEAKER_00: The good and great businesses understand the importance of execution skills.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, after all, they would not have become good or great without them.
• 0:33
  SPEAKER_00: If you've come across people who just seem to get so much done personally and through their teams, and you wondered how they do it, chances are they've got good execution skills.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: In this podcast, I share eight key practical steps that will help you significantly improve how to execute and make things happen, personally and through your team.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: The eighth step is probably the most important, yet, it is a step least well done by most managers.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_00: Put our tips into practice and significantly improve how to execute and make things happen.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_00: My name is Jess Coles, and I've had a 25-year management career in Innocent Drinks, Fosters, EY, Peer Consulting, and many other less well-known companies.
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_00: I built a reputation of making things happen, of being able to execute, and proof of these skills include delivering 54 projects in a year, top appraisal grades, multiple best team prizes, and turning around multiple underperforming teams and businesses.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: If you like this podcast, then please visit us at enhance.training for the articles, videos, and podcasts we publish each week to help you improve your performance.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: And please share this podcast with others.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_00: The first step in how to execute and make things happen is to understand your people.
• 1:52
  SPEAKER_00: Your team members will be delivering the project or the activity you have planned, so understanding what they can and what they can't do is pretty critical to success.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_00: Make the time to personally get to know your team members on a professional level.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_00: What are their strengths and weaknesses?
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_00: What are their ambitions, their interests, and so on?
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_00: You know, are they self-starters who just need directing?
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: Or individuals that you need to spend time checking up on and supporting?
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_00: Do you know your team well enough to get the best out of each person?
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_00: And when you do, you can assign the team members best suited to completing specific projects and activities.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: The team might be best suited because you know, firstly, they have the right skills, or secondly, the right attitude, or thirdly, their ambitions or interests are aligned with the needs of the project, and thus they'll be more motivated to do the work and to do it well.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_00: Work out how you can best use the people available to you, their interests, their skills and their motivations to get the work done in the best way.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_00: And if you don't have a team to manage or lead, then this step in getting things done is all about going after the projects and activities best suited to your skills, ambitions and interests, and of course getting colleagues to deliver for you.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_00: The second step in getting teams to deliver is to get the right people in the team.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_00: This is a difficult step and can't be done in days or weeks, yet remains really important if you manage and lead any team.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_00: Your team members are going to be doing the work and therefore get the best staff you can.
• 3:28
  SPEAKER_00: For example, you don't ask a plumber to put in a new staircase, you ask a carpenter to do the work because they will do a lot better job, do it quicker and with less cost.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: You are matching specific skills and expertise to solve a specific problem.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_00: If certain team members don't have the right skills, capability, motivation and attitude to do the job you need, then it is super important that you do what you can to change this situation.
• 3:54
  SPEAKER_00: Different ways to change or add to the skills of your team include, you know, firstly, hire people into your team with better or different skills as people leave.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, to train or coach current team members to learn new skills or improve current skills.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: Third, deal effectively and quickly with underperforming team members.
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, hire consultants or temporary workers to undertake specific tasks, activities or projects.
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_00: And fifth, organise individual comments from other teams within the business.
• 4:27
  SPEAKER_00: There may well be other options that suit your situation a lot better.
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: Get the best team in place that you can and then do your best to improve their relevant skills.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: Both will help in getting teams to deliver.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: The work you put in doing this will pay you back many times over, personally and at a business level.
• 4:46
  SPEAKER_00: Don't settle for a poor status quo if you plan on being able to execute and make things happen.
• 4:52
  SPEAKER_00: The third step in how to execute and make things happen is to define success.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: If you aren't clear on where you are heading or what your goal is, how will you know when you're actually going in the right direction?
• 5:05
  SPEAKER_00: And don't be tempted to jump into action until you have set out your goals and preferably put them into writing.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: Spend enough time on defining your goals and communicating these to all the relevant stakeholders so you are confident that these goals are likely to be changed part of the way through a project.
• 5:21
  SPEAKER_00: Changing goals or having vague goals are great ways to waste time and effort and take longer to get to the result you want.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_00: The more you align achieving team and company goals while achieving the individual personal goals, the more motivated that person and the better off everyone will be, the individual, the team, and the business.
• 5:42
  SPEAKER_00: It is easy said and it is much harder to put into practice.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: But do take the time to align goals as much as possible to help drive better results.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_00: Set out the goals clearly in writing before you start doing anything else.
• 5:56
  SPEAKER_00: Then define how you will measure your progress towards each goal you set.
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_00: Measuring progress allows you to firstly manage team performance better.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, manage expectations of stakeholders more effectively because evidence beats opinion.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_00: Third, you get early warning if executing your plans goes off track.
• 6:16
  SPEAKER_00: And fourth, you have a better indication of why the execution of your plan is off track.
• 6:23
  SPEAKER_00: Make sure your goals are clear.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_00: Get management and stakeholder buy-in to those goals and then work out how you're going to measure progress.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: Put the goals in writing so everyone has the same clear reference point.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: The fourth step in getting teams to deliver is to ask the team to plan how they're going to achieve the goals.
• 6:41
  SPEAKER_00: You should include the team that will do the work in this step for several reasons.
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_00: Firstly, their inputs will mean higher ownership, accountability and motivation, which nearly always translates into better execution.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, many minds are better than one when overcoming problems, generating ideas, challenging assumptions and planning steps, particularly in complex or high-risk projects or activities.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: And third, everyone involved in the planning will understand what is needed much better than if they were just given the plans to read.
• 7:13
  SPEAKER_00: When planning, you should cover as a minimum, firstly, where are we now?
• 7:18
  SPEAKER_00: Secondly, where do we want to get to, third, what steps are needed to achieve the goal and when do these need to happen?
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: Fourth, who will do each step, and fifth, what resources are needed to make the plan a success.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: Look out for our podcasts on different types of planning for more help in this area.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_00: If you're not managing a team, ask your manager or a colleague to go through the plan with you, looking for problems or weak assumptions.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: Giving stakeholders the opportunity to input into the plan can also be a good way of getting their support.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_00: The fifth step in how to execute and make things happen is to assign one owner who will be responsible for delivering each part of or all the project or activity depending on the size, complexity, and number of people involved.
• 8:06
  SPEAKER_00: Don't be tempted to split ownership between two or more people.
• 8:10
  SPEAKER_00: Doing so creates uncertainty as to who is responsible for what.
• 8:14
  SPEAKER_00: Rather, take a section of a larger project and give specific ownership for each section to one individual.
• 8:20
  SPEAKER_00: And keep an owner for the overall project to make sure someone is specifically tasked with coordinating all the moving parts.
• 8:28
  SPEAKER_00: With smaller or simpler projects, you likely only need one owner, or that person may be you.
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_00: Make sure that you and each owner are very clear about the goals and the expectations for what they are responsible for and how you, they and any other stakeholder are going to know when each goal has been reached.
• 8:47
  SPEAKER_00: The sixth step in how to execute and make things happen is to create visibility.
• 8:52
  SPEAKER_00: No one likes to look silly, be bottom of the pack or let others down.
• 8:57
  SPEAKER_00: Humans are hardwired through social rules to support and help the group.
• 9:01
  SPEAKER_00: Plug into this by creating visibility.
• 9:22
  SPEAKER_00: And put together simple reporting which could be shared.
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: Keep the output easy to understand and read.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: You know, graphical charts for instance are really good for this.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_00: Circulate your progress updates around the managers, stakeholders and those colleagues working on making the projects and activities happen.
• 9:39
  SPEAKER_00: Visibility helps execution by helping firstly coordination, second, driving ownership, and third, creating peer pressure.
• 9:48
  SPEAKER_00: Creating data-driven measurement of progress takes away a lot of the opinion-led conflict caused by differing views and opinions of progress.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_00: Data is a lot more black and white, which moves the conversation towards how to solve problems and overcome shortfalls rather than focusing on is there actually a problem in the first place.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: Visibility helps drive ownership, accountability and performance, so make use of it when getting colleagues to deliver.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_00: The seventh step in getting teams to deliver is to coach and mentor your team members.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_00: Coaching and mentoring those in your team and executing projects is a hugely important investment to make.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: By investing your time in transferring your knowledge and skills to others, you are through your actions stating that the individuals are important to you and how well they do their work is also important to you.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: Teaching and investing in others shows you care.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_00: And if you care about them, they are a lot more likely to care about what you want.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_00: If you try to make their working life easier and give them a path to promotion, more interesting challenges, social advancement, more pay, etc., they are much more likely to pay you back with harder work, more ownership, better results delivery, etc.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_00: Both parties win.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_00: So invest your time to improve what your team does.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_00: Getting teams to deliver more helps everyone.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_00: A simple example of this is if you spend your time teaching five people to fish, the six of you will catch a lot more fish than you fishing alone.
• 11:24
  SPEAKER_00: And if you don't manage a team, then invest time in improving your skills.
• 11:29
  SPEAKER_00: You know, read books, watch videos, attend training courses, ask for one-to-ones with your manager.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: Do whatever you can to improve your skills and experience.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_00: I've always felt that if you build the skills and experience, the promotions, the money, and everything else will follow one way or another.
• 11:46
  SPEAKER_00: The eighth step in how to execute and make things happen is to relentlessly follow up.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: The very action of following up on activities and projects signals to those undertaking the projects that achieving their goals are important to you.
• 12:00
  SPEAKER_00: And if you don't follow up, you are by your actions signalling the opposite.
• 12:05
  SPEAKER_00: By popping around to speak to the person responsible or by calling them, you are able to offer support while also getting an update on where the project or activity is.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: You can use the same approach for their reports if applicable.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_00: Don't overly rely on reporting.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_00: Ask them to show you the progress rather than just tell you about the progress.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_00: And this is not about micromanagement, which you definitely need to avoid.
• 12:31
  SPEAKER_00: Following up is about making yourself available to help and support their work, and by doing so, you're going to see for yourself the progress being made without coming across as though you're checking up on them.
• 12:43
  SPEAKER_00: You need to judge how much to follow up and how you do this, both of which will depend very much on what works best with each team member.
• 12:52
  SPEAKER_00: Trust the individuals to do their work, but also verify what you are being told and shown.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_00: This way you will not be surprised and you will also be able to help when needed.
• 13:03
  SPEAKER_00: I've always found that speaking to individuals in person or on the phone is much better than relying on emails.
• 13:10
  SPEAKER_00: It is a lot easier to build a personal relationship with that person and you get a lot more information from them.
• 13:17
  SPEAKER_00: And if you're not managing a team, you can employ the same approach in getting stakeholders and in getting colleagues to deliver.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_00: Just remember you must genuinely be offering help and be focused on helping them achieve their goals.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_00: And if the other person asks for help, then you must make sure you deliver for them as quickly as practical.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_00: There is no better way to build trust with that person.
• 13:40
  SPEAKER_00: No matter how busy you are, make the time to follow up as regularly as you need to to ensure that firstly you know what is going on at all stages, secondly, there's no surprises, and third, those doing the work are not held up or become unsure of what to do next, and fourth, they feel that you are there to support them.
• 14:00
  SPEAKER_00: If you follow and practice these steps, you will improve what you deliver, and you'll get much better at getting teams to deliver more.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_00: So, in summary, knowing how to execute and make things happen is essential for all managers, leaders, professionals, and business owners to learn how to do if you want success with your career and business.
• 14:22
  SPEAKER_00: Execution in business separates those with great ideas from those that made those great ideas into great businesses.
• 14:31
  SPEAKER_00: Practice how to execute and make things happen, and your career and business will thank you for it.
• 14:37
  SPEAKER_00: If you like this podcast, then please visit us at enhance.training for the articles, videos, and podcasts we publish each week to help you improve your performance.
• 14:48
  SPEAKER_00: And please share this podcast with others.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks very much for listening, and I look forward to speaking to you again soon.