Building Unified Financial Visions

The execution gap—the bane of every CEO. “We have a good strategy, good people, good products. Why aren’t we getting the results we’re capable of?” Have you ever asked yourself that question (with or without the dangling preposition)?

Lots of books have been written about execution and the sometimes exasperating effort all businesses make to improve, refine, or enhance the execution of their business plan. Yet few CEOs are ever satisfied. When I ask them to describe their satisfaction with team execution they hesitate and hedge. “We’re pretty good, but we could do better,” might be the most common response.

I’ve come to learn that one can sense something about company cultures. It’s not something that’s there. It’s something that’s not there. And people are so busy trying to ‘execute’ that they don’t know what’s missing. It’s as if they believe that working harder will get them the results they want. In some cases, maybe it will.

But what is lacking is simpler, if not more elusive. We call it a “unified vision for growing the business.” This means that there is a consistent, meaningful, mutually respectful understanding between the owners (or their representatives) and the employees. This understanding works by the following formula.  Owners: “Help us achieve great results. We’re committed to sharing the financial rewards in an enriching way.” Employees: “We see the results you expect. We see how we can contribute. We appreciate your willingness to share value. We find this relationship compelling.”

When this partnership moves from philosophy to practice it changes organizations. Execution is no longer an elusive goal. It’s second nature.