Execution Unboxed.

“You don’t win on good intention. You win on great execution.”

A few weeks ago, I became part of a business ecosystem being established by a collection of entrepreneurs and business leaders. The intention of the community is captivating as it is noble. They, however, apparently seem to be experiencing organizational challenges that forced the operations to a grinding halt.

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Being the nosy person that I am, it’s unsurprising that a week later I am in the middle of the action, designing the DNA of the community together with its organizing committee.

In the words of the team, the Business Connect Community (BCC) reboot was initiated with its refined purpose of empowering entrepreneurs to build Christ-centered enterprises.

As a side note, I’ve built business ecosystems and am a part of a few but nothing is as important as BCC because it is filled with Business Leaders who value excellence with equal dedication of expressing Christ-like character and deep faith.

Rarely do I find a circle who exhibit both operationally excellent practices married with strong conviction in honoring God with their businesses.

What I found surprising though, is the moniker I sort of earned among the team: Activator.

Team members, in one way or another and on different occasions, acknowledge how fast I move and get things done. Some told me they are inspired by it. Others, I believe, are exhausted because of it. But being the gracious Christians that they are, one has yet to pull me aside and reprimand me for being a whirling dervish.

Surprised by Execution.

In one apparently casual conversation, I spoke about a promising idea with another entrepreneur. He asked me to have a sit down meeting with him and flesh things out. So we aligned on a date and said our goodbyes. As a habit, I sent him a virtual meeting invite right after and then went on with my day.

A few moments later, I was notified with a message from the entrepreneur who was genuinely surprised at how fast I operated.

“If it’s worth doing” I said, “then what are we waiting for?” was my response with a touch of humor.

The Curse of Knowledge

When something’s second nature to you, you completely forget what it feels like not knowing. This is the Curse of Knowledge. And this is the way I am with rapid execution: it has become natural to me, I often forget not everyone moves as fast as me.

So I sat down and reflected about how execution became a habit of mine and what principles guide the way I act. After some time, I came up with three things.

Execution is a Discipline.

Execution is a set of behaviors or series of activities one does to achieve a desired outcome. Setting clear goals, metrics of success and timeline, mapping the step by step process and holding oneself accountable for the result are the building blocks for getting things done.

Moreover, like any discipline, one becomes better the more it is practiced. The more we practice the fundamental elements of execution, the more well-versed we become.

Execution is Intentional.

No one loses 100 pounds by accident. To shave off those excess fat, we have to purposely lift weights. One does not wait to find himself wandering in front of the gym; that almost always never happens.

With execution, we have to consciously choose to put off excuses, get our bums off the couch and do what needs to be done, when we say we’ll get it done. And we have to consciously do it moment by moment until it becomes completely part of who we are.

Put simply, we have to intentionally choose to make execution a habit.

Execution is Simple.

There’s no mystery about it. Being clear on what you want to accomplish, when you want to accomplish it, how you intend to accomplish it through a step by step activity does not require a Ph. D.

For sure, simple does not automatically mean easy. Yet through these specific actions, execution becomes easier.

Final thoughts.

Execution is less about intensity and more about clarity.

When outcomes, metrics and strategy are clear, things happen freakishly fast. Things get done and momentum accelerates, catalyzing a results-driven cycle as each accomplishment builds on the one before. An execution culture by then must be maintained with intense consistency.

And with these things in place, no one will be surprised by execution any more.

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Florentino Hernando is the Managing Director of FAHernando Consulting, an Executive Advisory firm with the mission to accelerate performance by 100x.