New furniture arrived at our office yesterday. Of course, it was not the joyous occasion we had been expecting. It took longer to deliver than anticipated and the delivery guys spent most of the day assembling cubicles and creating sawdust piles everywhere. The day was spent looking at each piece and realizing it wasn't what we thought, certain items were smaller than the office furniture showroom led us to believe and the projected stability was a bit less than.

That doesn't mean we weren't excited but what it does mean is that reality didn't quite live up to the imagination and expectation. Welcome to real life, right? Planning, preparing, predicting all lead to something. These three actions build to a plateau that either works (good execution) or doesn't work (poor execution). I reviewed some information yesterday that confirms my stance on preparation. It doesn't matter how much you plan or prepare, if you fail to implement, it is all for naught.

Execution is putting a plan into action by applying power to accomplish the mission and using situational understanding to assess progress and make execution and adjustment decisions. Translating decisions into actions. It all sounds very Sun Tzu, doesn't it? The Art of War has been applied to business for years and the truth is, business is war. The war to win clients/customers. The battle to stay at the top of your game. The hostilities that competition brings out and defines the true warrior. The inner struggle to change the way you do things when the old ways no longer work. The Art of War in action, indeed.


There were three bullet points defined in the information I received that I wish to share (use them how you will and so will I):

• Seize and retain the initiative.
• Build and maintain momentum.
• Exploit success.

Each of these three can be specifically applied to your work day and if carried out will lead to further success. It isn't enough to name a course of action. It isn't enough to plan that course of action. Only when you execute and carry out the plan/action will there be a success to exploit and share with others. Dominance in any field comes only through the following steps; whether you are recruiting or building a ship, you have to have a plan and follow through.

1. Develop a course of action.
2. Refine and validate the course of action
3. Implement.

Pretty simple.

© by rayannethorn