By Peter DiMario CEO and Phyllis Mikolaitis EVP
Research from multiple IDC centers estimated that executives and managers spend 9.6 million hours per week addressing issues that their direct reports should handle, at a cost of more than $385 million annually in lost productivity and misaligned focus.
It is not easy to maintain the team’s focus on executing the Most Valuable Goals, which are the strategic objectives that hold the highest potential for driving business growth, amid the daily work and numerous distractions that get in the way.
Many teams create impressive strategies and goals on paper, but fail to execute them properly. Our research found the failure is due to a variety of factors, including day-to-day activity choices, bad habits, poor performance behaviors, a lack of knowledge, a lack of accountability, a lack of discipline, and a lack of dedication to the goal.
It is not that they do not want to achieve their goals, but they get pulled in so many different directions, and each item tugging at them appears urgent.
With this new research being uncovered … What is the Root Cause of The Execution Gap?
It is Leadership Focusing Only on Strategy versus Focusing on People … The lack of People focus is the Root Cause of the Execution Gap.
- Leadership Effectiveness: Skills and Knowledge Gap
- Lack of Leadership Skills – Leadership at every level of management requires a different and mastered people skill set than the skills they acquired in their previous position.
- This skill set deficiency and lack of knowledge proficiency significantly impact the Leader’s ability to lead the team in execution harmony, leaving team members feeling unsupported, and is one of the main reasons for not achieving planned monthly and quarterly results
- Failure to be a Role Model – Leadership is not just a position; it’s a responsibility. As a results-driven Leader and steward of your team members’ success, you play a crucial role in shaping their professional business and performance behaviors. You are not just a manager, but a role model. Your ability to be a role model can inspire your team members to be their best every day, which will earn their respect and commitment, ultimately creating a team of engaged, top-performing A+ and A team members.
- Lack of Ability to Motivate Team Members – A Leader must inspire and motivate the team and each member of the team. Without continually demonstrating this skill, team members miss deadlines, fail to produce quality results, and become disengaged.
Leaders must not only be role models; they are also required to create and maintain a culture of team member passion for the work they produce.
The foundation for this work passion is developing an ongoing positive work environment that delivers monthly overachievement results. This type of work environment ensures every team member is fully engaged and willing to give their discretionary time to ensure the team exceeds its monthly business objectives
- Lack of High Levels of Trust – When trust is low, teams are not able to engage in business conflict effectively. They will avoid conflict altogether, which results in resentment, unacceptable levels of engagement, low productivity, and higher-than-planned turnover.
You don’t want to impose so many rules that they stifle individuality, personal judgment, innovation, or creativity. You must create and demonstrate high levels of trust while providing responsible freedom to team members in a meaningful way to ensure they are 100% accountable for their actions and overachievement results
- The Destructive Nature of Micromanagement. If the manager directs every detail of how the employee should perform their work, it destroys creativity, erodes trust, and creates disengagement and a desire to leave the company. This destructive practice also demonstrates that the manager does not trust the team member to complete the job as required. Trust, empowerment, and accountability are the keys to a successful team.
Closing the execution gap isn’t about working harder—it’s about working smarter.
Leaders must create the right environment, develop and maintain the precise Human Capital Performance and interpersonal proficiencies, while removing the barriers that pull teams off course.
Summary: It is the Leader’s responsibility to foster a culture of trust and 100% engagement, which are the ingredients for achieving monthly and quarterly overachievement.
Being an overachieving Leader is synonymous with being a Servant Leader who prioritizes the needs of their team members and the organization’s stakeholders.
A Servant Leader focuses on each team member’s continued growth and development, rather than their personal and professional gain. This type of Leadership also creates a people-centered environment that fosters sustained peak performance and monthly overachievement, which underscores the profound impact of effective leadership.