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2.08.05

Implementation shortcomings

Lucy Kellaway writes (in ’Sense and Nonsense in the office’) about the volatile position of a CEO: ’The average stay at the top of the FTSE 100 companies is four years, and falling’ … thus ’failed executives must be one of the fastest growing socio-economic groups in the Western world’. However, more interesting, she also argues about the reasons for failures: ’the reason has nothing to do with shortcomings in strategy, vision, or any of the supposedly difficult stuff … the reason they screw up is that they cannot implement.’

My focus regarding business consulting is on implementation although this covers of course many other thematic issues such as strategy or innovation. Nevertheless the difficulties experienced by CEOs, consultants focusing on implementation are rare, since this is (seemingly) dead dull. I don’t think so and concentrating on the nitty-gritty is effective indeed.

In a recent McKinsey release, Alan G. Lafley - CEO of P&G, more than five years (!) - has been interviewed. He highlighted the importance of excellence in execution: ’Bossidy’s right—in the end, it’s about executing with excellence. But you can exhort all you want about excellent execution; you’re not going to get it unless you have disciplined strategic choices, a structure that supports the strategy, systems that enable large organizations to work and execute together, a winning culture, and leadership that’s inspirational. If you have all that, you’ll get excellent execution.’

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