Success is All about Execution
Posted by kexbrown on March 1, 2010
It has been a while since I have been to the Coding Horror blog, but I made the trek today and I am glad I did. Why? Because of an excellent article titled Cultivate Teams, Not Ideas.
A quick synopsis, Jeff Atwood tells us “How much is a good idea worth? In truth, not much. It is all about execution.”
Anybody Can Come Up With a Million Dollar Idea
Anybody can come up with an idea. Even you sitting here reading this article have come up with 2 or 3 million dollar ideas in the last 12 months. When you pass a restaurant, book store, new business, a problem getting to work, a problem when you get in the car, and you thought somebody should do something …. to resolve this problem. That is the million dollar idea.
You might ask, “Where’s my million dollars?” That is the “execution” part of the equation. One of my favorite speakers / writers is Brian Tracy. He say’s the same thing. Anybody can have an idea, but can you get it to work? Can you actually build that better mousetrap? Can you get the resources to start the project? Can you get the funding or have you the resources to self-fund the project?
Oh I am All Excited
A good idea is like lighting a match. There is light and heat immediately. “Oh, I am all excited about this new idea.” But, the next step is to find a candle and light the wick. Because that excitement you are feeling right now isn’t going to last long. You need to begin writing an action plan. What do I have to do today to begin this project? What are the 5 most important things that MUST be done to make this work? Can I do it alone? Do I have friends, associates, business partners, and someone that can sell the product?
Jeff Atwood say’s, “I wouldn’t call ideas worthless, per se, but it’s clear that ideas alone are a hollow sort of currency. Success is rarely determined by the quality of your ideas. But it is frequently determined by the quality of your execution. So instead of worrying about whether the Next Big Idea you’re working on is sufficiently brilliant, worry about how well you’re executing.”
What 5 things are you going to do today to move you toward your goal? Will you be sidetracked by little gnats or will you use a superswat to stay focused on your goal? As the article states, making presentations won’t be enough by themselves. You have to “make the sale.” You have to determine what the sticking point is and push through any rejections. If the product isn’t good enough then work overtime to make it better.
Create a Master Mind Group
Make sure you are looking at the details. If you click button A does it take you successfully to page B or do you get redirected to the wrong page C? Can you create a team to overcome any shortcomings you may personally have in a specific area? Can you create a “Master Mind” group? This is a phrase that I first remember from the book by Napoleon Hill, “Think and Grow Rich.” It is still relevant today in finding a group of “winners” that work with you day by day. A group of outside the box thinkers that can build upon your thoughts. That can break through the wall that might be holding you back.
This group must be doers. Anybody can talk and say you should be doing this step or using this tool to do the job. But, find those exceptional people who can talk and have ideas, but more importantly have the ability to “Get things Done!” You can ask them to do a project and when they leave you know the next time you see them the project will be complete.
You Have to Execute Your Plan
I have a friend named Eric, who can write more code in a day than the average programmer can write in a year. He is accurate and knowledgeable. He was working with a team of good programmers to produce new software for the medical field. Eric handpicked people he felt were entrepreneurial and could get the job done in a timely fashion. This entire project was an “after work project.” But, he was wrong. They all wanted to be successful, but they weren’t doers. They couldn’t get past the let’s do this phase. He lost the contract because he and his team weren’t able to execute their plan in time to meet the proposal phase.
What should you take from all this talk? Ideas are a dime a dozen. Most people have at least 3 great ideas each year that would catapult them to success. But, only a handful will take the next step to “Get the Job Done.” If you can motivate yourself to be in this group of “doers” and learn to create an action plan and then execute that plan, then you will begin to write your own ticket to success.