The Four Disciplines of Execution: 4DX attempts to tackle this “strategy/execution gap.” The gap occurs for any goal that needs behavioral change. The biggest reason people fail to execute on goals is “the whirlwind.”The whirlwind is the day job; it’s the things that must get done to run the business. It destroys the execution of larger goals. It wins when you have too many goals, the goals are unclear, and/or there is no accountability for achieving the goals.
Discipline One: Focus on the Wildly Important. Narrow your most important goals to 2 or less for a given time. This can be quarterly or yearly. This is your Wildly Important Goal or WIG. It’s very difficult to focus on a limited number of goals, but this concentration of forces is necessary to defeat the whirlwind. You still need to spend 80% of your time and effort on the day-to-day, but 20% should be focused on the WIG. Once a WIG is achieved, it becomes habit and goes back into the whirlwind. Discipline Two: Act on the Lead Measures (Activity goals that can be set in Sisu) The second discipline is to focus on the activities that drive results. There are two types of measures. Lead measures describe activities or sub-goals which can be acted upon. A good lead measure predicts success on the lag measure, and the individual has direct influence over it. You should choose your own lead measures by selecting activities that will have the most impact on achieving the WIG. Discipline Three: Keep a Compelling Scoreboard (Sisu) To remain engaged, you should know at all times if you are winning. People play more seriously when they are keeping score. Without knowing the score, you will be distracted by the whirlwind. A visible scoreboard helps you to work out how to move forward. This is what SISU is used for. Discipline Four: Create a Cadence of Accountability (Monthly One on Ones or weekly accountability sessions) The first three disciplines prepare for the game; the fourth discipline is the game itself — it is execution. Having an accountability partner for a weekly meeting is your best bet. Monthly one on ones are also a place for the accountability session to take place. WIG The aim of the WIG session is to everyone personally accountable, clear the path ahead, solve problems, and commit to actions for the next week.
