Title: COSA-FL 4DX for Strategy Meetings
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3 Documents combined into a single PDF with details about using the 4DX model for goal setting in COSA Strateg
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Strategic Planning
The 4 Disciplines of Execution
State Strategy Meetings
Supplies Needed
Easel
Large post-it note pad
Markers
4DX Video
Wildly Important Goals (30-45 minutes)
Plenary session for team to agree on 3-5 WIGs
Written in the format of “Move
Something Important from X to Y by When.”
Each WIG is written on a single large post-it
X, Y, and When can be revised later
Just define the WIGS. Resist the temptation to discuss how
Focus on the Lead Measures (45-60 minutes)
Break into smaller groups (grassroots, legislative, Comms, etc.)
Post the appropriate WIG on the wall in front of each break-out group
Brainstorm lead activities to achieve the WIG
Try to state a SMART goal for each activity
Return to the plenary session (20-30 minutes)
Each team gets 10 minutes to present their results
Get general buy-in to the plan
At the Meeting
State Strategy Meetings
Create a compelling scorecard
State leadership team creates a strategic plan document
Create a scorecard (usually a spreadsheet) to track progress
toward lead measures and WIG
Everyone has access to view the scorecard
Cadence of Accountability
Select a regular team meeting to discuss the strategic plan
(10-20 minutes)
Review the scorecard
Review commitments
Make new commitments
Make use of meeting notes to document commitments
After the Meeting
State Strategy Meetings
Example WIGS
Increase petition signatures from 50,000 to 55,000 by 12/31/2025
Conduct 30 meetings with legislators by 12/31/2025
Increase monthly donors from 25 to 50 by 12/31/2025
Increase active District Captains from 60% to 100% by 12/21/2025
Fill 5 Region Captain positions by 12/31/2025
Introduce 34|Ready Legislation in the 2025 session
Support 3 pieces of F3 legislation in the 2025 session
Surge Day at the Capitol with a minimum of 50 activists in 2025
Pass the COS Resolution in the 2025 session
The Possibilities
State Strategy Meetings
▸
Wildly Important Goal
▸
Increase petition signers from 20,000 to 30,000 by 12/31/2025.
▸
Lead Measures
▸
Town hall meetings
▸
Event Tables
▸
Letters to editors
▸
Social media activity
▸
Media appearances
▸
Scorecard
▸
Cadence of Accountability
Servant Leadership
State Strategy Meetings
▸
Wildly Important Goal
▸
Increase petition signers from 20,000 to 30,000 by 12/31/2025.
▸
Lead Measures
▸
Town hall meetings
▸
Event Tables
▸
Letters to editors
▸
Social media activity
▸
Media appearances
▸
Scorecard
▸
Cadence of Accountability
There
Here
Path
Act/Learn/Adjust
Servant Leadership
State Strategy Meetings
▸
Increase petition signers from 20,000 to 30,000 by 12/31/2025.
SMART Goals
State Strategy Meetings
▸
Increase petition signers from 20,000 to 30,000 by 12/31/2025.
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Relevant
Timebound
SMART Goals
State Strategy Meetings
Next Steps
▸
Standard State Strategy Report
▸
How should we roll this out to the state teams?
▸
SD call in June
▸
Pilot states
▸
Who should facilitate the sessions?
▸
Training for State Directors?
State Strategy using the 4 Disciplines of Execution
• Supplies Needed
o Easel \\ o Large post-it note pad \\ o Markers \\ o 4DX Video
• Wildly Important Goals (30-45 minutes)
o Play the 4DX Video
o Plenary session for team to agree on 3-5 WIGs
o Written in the format of “Move Something Important from X to Y by When.”
o Each WIG is written on a single large post-it
o X, Y, and When can be revised later
o Just define the WIGS. Resist the temptation to discuss how
• Focus on the Lead Measures (45-60 minutes)
o Break into smaller groups (grassroots, legislative, comms, etc.)
o Post the appropriate WIG on the wall in front of each break-out group
o Brainstorm lead activities to achieve the WIG
o Written in the format of “Move Something Important from X to Y by When.”
• Return to the plenary session (20-30 minutes)
o Each team gets 10 minutes to present their results
o Get general buy-in to the plan
• Create a compelling scorecard
o State leadership team creates a strategic plan document
o Create a scorecard to track progress toward lead measures and WIG
o Everyone has access to view the scorecard
• Cadence of Accountability
o Select a regular team meeting to discuss the strategic plan (10-20 minutes)
o Review commitments
o Review the scorecard
o Make new commitments
o Make use of meeting notes to document commitments
At
th
e
St
at
e
St
ra
te
gy
Me
et
in
g
Aft
er
th
e S
ta
te
St
ra
te
gy
Me
et
in
g
• Example WIGS
o Increase petition signatures from 50,000 to 55,000 by 12/31/2025
o Conduct 30 meetings with legislators by 12/31/2025
o Increase monthly donors from 25 to 50 by 12/31/2025
o Increase active District Captains from 60% to 100% by 12/21/2025
o Fill 5 Region Captain positions by 12/31/2025
o Introduce 34|Ready Legislation in the 2025 session
o Support 3 pieces of F3 legislation in the 2025 session
o Surge Day at the Capitol with a minimum of 50 activists in 2025
o Pass the COS Resolution in the 2025 session
• Example WIG with Lead Measures
o Increase petition signers from 25,000 to 30,000 by 12/31/2025.
§
Hold 6 Town hall meetings in 2025
§
Schedule 12 Event Tables at guns shows in 2025
§
Share 60 COS posts per month on state Facebook page in 2025
• Example Scorecard
Measure
Goal
YTD
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
Petitions Signed
5,000
1,520
572
459
489
Town Hall
6
2
1
1
Gun Show
12
2
1
1
FB Posts
720
186
65
58
63
• Example Cadence of Accountability Agenda
o Report on commitments from last meeting
o Review scorecard
o Make commitments to complete by next meeting
Published by Soundview Executive Book Summaries®, 500 Old Forge Lane, Suite 501, Kennett Square, PA 19348 USA
© 2012 Soundview Executive Book Summaries® • All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part is prohibited.
Concentrated Knowledge™ for the Busy Executive • www.summary.com
Vol. 34, No. 10 (3 parts), Part 1, October 2012 • Order #34-24
CONTENTS
Discipline 1: Focus on
the Wildly Important
Page 2
Discipline 2: Act on the
Lead Measures
Page 3
Discipline 3: Keep a
Compelling Scorecard
Page 3
Discipline 4: Create a
Cadence of
Accountability
Page 4
Part 2: Installing 4DX
with Your Team
Page 5
Part 3: Installing 4DX in
Your Organization
Page 8
by Chris McChesney,
Sean Covey and Jim Huling
The 4 Disciplines
of Execution
Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals
THE SUMMARY IN BRIEF
Do you remember the last major initiative you watched die in your organiza-
tion? Did it go down with a loud crash? Or was it slowly and quietly suffocated by
other competing priorities? By the time it finally disappeared, it's likely no one
even noticed. What happened? The “whirlwind” of urgent activity required to
keep things running day-to-day devoured all the time and energy you needed to
invest in executing your strategy for tomorrow! The 4 Disciplines of Execution can
change all that forever.
The 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX) is a simple, repeatable, and proven for-
mula for executing on your most important strategic priorities in the midst of the
whirlwind. By following the 4 Disciplines: focusing on the wildly important, act-
ing on lead measures, keeping a compelling scoreboard, and creating a cadence of
accountability, leaders can produce breakthrough results.
4DX is not theory. It is a proven set of practices that have been tested and
refined by hundreds of organizations and thousands of teams over many years.
When a company or an individual adheres to these disciplines, they achieve superb
results –– regardless of the goal. 4DX represents a new way of thinking and work-
ing that is essential to thriving in today's competitive climate.
IN THIS SUMMARY, YOU WILL LEARN:
• What the 4 Disciplines of Execution are and why they work.
• How to execute your strategic priorities and get results.
• How to effect change in human behavior to achieve your goals.
• How to install the 4 Disciplines of Execution in your team and organization.
SOUNDVIEW
Executive
Book Summaries®
Le
a
d
e
rs
h
ip
October 2012
The Real Problem with Execution
If you’re leading people right now, you are probably
trying to get them to do something different.
Whether you lead a small work team or a whole com-
pany, a family or a factory, no significant result is
achievable unless people change their behavior. To be
successful, you will need their commitment. Getting the
kind of commitment that will endure in the midst of the
daily grind is not easy.
When you execute a strategy that requires a lasting
change in the behavior of other people, you're facing
one of the greatest leadership challenges you will ever
meet. With the 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX), you
are implementing a set of proven practices that meet that
challenge successfully every time.
The real enemy of execution is the whirlwind, the mas-
sive amount of energy that's necessary just to keep your
operation going on a day-to-day basis. The 4 Disciplines
aren't designed for managing your whirlwind but for
executing your most critical strategy in the midst of
your whirlwind. ●
Discipline 1: Focus on the
Wildly Important
Focus your finest effort on one or two goals that will
make all the difference, instead of giving mediocre effort
to dozens of goals. Execution starts with focus. Without
it, the other three disciplines won't be able to help you.
Identifying Your Wildly Important Goals
A wildly important goal (WIG) is a goal that can make
all the difference. You're going to commit to apply a
disproportionate amount of energy to it — the estimated
20 percent that is not used up in the whirlwind.
In determining your wildly important goal, don't ask
“What's most important?” Instead, begin by asking “If
every other area of our operation remained at its current
level of performance, what is the one area where change
would have the greatest impact?”
Whether your WIG comes from within the whirlwind
or outside it, your real aim is not only to achieve it, but
also to then make the new level of performance a natur-
al part of your team's operation.
Focusing the Organization
Here are four rules to help you narrow the focus of
your entire organization:
Rule # 1: No team focuses on more than two
WIGs at the same time. The key is not to overload
any single leader, team or individual performer.
Rule #2: The battles you choose must win the
war. The sole purpose of WIGs at lower levels in the
organization is to help achieve the WIGs at higher levels.
Rule #3: Senior leaders can veto, but not dic-
tate. While the senior leaders will undoubtedly deter-
mine the top-level WIG, they must allow the leaders at
each level below to define the WIGs for their teams.
THE COMPLETE SUMMARY: THE 4 DISCIPLINES OF EXECUTION
by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey and Jim Huling
2 Soundview Executive Book Summaries® www.summary.com
The authors: Chris McChesney is the Global Practice Leader of Execution for FranklinCovey and one of the primary develop-
ers of The 4 Disciplines of Execution. For more than a decade, he has led FranklinCovey's ongoing design and development of
these principles.
Sean Covey is Executive Vice President of Global Solutions and Partnerships for FranklinCovey and oversees FranklinCovey's
international operations in 141 countries. As the chief product architect for FranklinCovey, he organized and directed the original
teams that conceived and created The 4 Disciplines of Execution.
Jim Huling is FranklinCovey’s managing consultant for The 4 Disciplines of Execution.
From The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling.
Copyright © 2012 by FranklinCovey Co. Reprinted by permission of Free Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. 326 pages,
$28.00, ISBN 978-1-4516-2705-3. To purchase this book, go to www.amazon.com or www.bn.com.
Summary copyright © 2012 by Soundview Executive Book Summaries® www.summary.com, 1-800-SUMMARY.
For additional information on the authors, go to www.summary.com or visit www.4dxbook.com.
Published by Soundview Executive Book Summaries® (ISSN 0747-2196), 500 Old Forge Lane, Suite 501, Kennett Square,
PA 19348 USA, a division of Concentrated Knowledge Corp. Published monthly. Subscriptions starting at $99 per year.
Copyright © 2012 by Soundview Executive Book Summaries ®.
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Rebecca S. Clement, Publisher; Sarah T. Dayton, Editor in Chief; Andrew Clancy, Senior Editor; Amanda Langen, Graphic Designer; Corbin Collins, Contributing Editor
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PART 1: THE 4 DISCIPLINES OF EXECUTION
Rule #4: All WIGs must have a finish line in
the form of from X to Y by when. Every WIG at
every level must contain a clearly measurable result,
as well as the date by which that result must
be achieved. ●
Discipline 2: Act on the
Lead Measures
While a lag measure tells you if you’ve achieved the
goal, a lead measure tells you if you are likely to achieve
the goal. For example, while you can't control how
often your car breaks down on the road (a lag measure),
you can certainly control how often your car receives
routine maintenance (a lead measure). And the more
you act on the lead measure, the more likely you are to
avoid that roadside breakdown.
We call them lag measures because by the time you
get the data the result has already happened. A lead mea-
sure is predictive, meaning that if the lead measure
changes, you can predict that the lag measure will also
change. A lead measure is also influenceable; it can be
influenced by the team.
It's the data on lead measures that enables you to close
the gap between what you know your team should do
and what they are actually doing. Without lead mea-
sures, you are left to try to manage to the lag measures,
an approach that seldom produces significant results.
Defining and Tracking Lead Measures
Oakland Athletics General Manager Sandy Alderson
and his assistant manager Billy Beane brought together
the best thinkers they could find on the subject: What
produces wins? The answer: the highest number of runs.
What are the lead measures that create a run? They dis-
covered that the mighty sluggers were often not all that
productive. The most productive players were the ones
who could just get on base. They could score runs
much more reliably than the power hitters who com-
manded astronomical salaries.
What Beane did was to track the on-base record of
players across the league and then recruit from those
who were very good at getting on base.
For a decade, the Oakland A's maintained the fifth
best record in Major League Baseball while ranking
twenty-fourth in player salaries. The Oakland manage-
ment team reframed the game by acting on the lead
measures that produce wins.
If you are serious about your WIG, then you must
create a way to track your lead measures. Without data,
you can't drive performance on the lead measures; with-
out lead measures, you don't have leverage.
Lead Measures and Engagement
Coming up with the right lead measures is really
about helping everyone see themselves as strategic busi-
ness partners and engaging them in dialogue about what
can be done better or differently in order to achieve the
WIGs. A good example is the advertising department of
the Savannah Morning News. Their WIG was to close a
serious revenue gap. Their focus was spread across so
many initiatives that they had taken their eye off of their
main product.
Everything changed when they started practicing
Discipline 2: Act on the lead measures. In the weekly
WIG sessions people committed to hit a certain number
of new customer contacts, reactivation calls, and upsell
offers. The newspaper closed their revenue gap and shot
past their goals for the year. ●
Discipline 3: Keep a
Compelling Scorecard
The third discipline is to make sure everyone knows
the score at all times, so that they can tell whether or
not they're winning. This is the discipline of engage-
ment. If the lead and lag measures are not captured on a
visual scoreboard and updated regularly, they will disap-
pear into the whirlwind. People disengage when they
don’t know the score.
Great teams know at every moment whether or not
they're winning. They must know, otherwise, they don't
know what they have to do to win the game. A com-
pelling scoreboard tells the team where they are and
where they should be, information essential to team
problem solving and decision making.
When team members themselves are keeping score,
they truly understand the connection between their per-
Summary: THE 4 DISCIPLINES OF EXECUTION
www.summary.com Soundview Executive Book Summaries® 3
Shooting for the Moon
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy shook NASA
to its foundations when he made the pronounce-
ment “land a man on the moon and return him safe-
ly to the earth before this decade is out.” When the
team moves from having a dozen we-really-hope
goals to one or two no-matter-what goals, the effect
on morale is dramatic. If you can throw that switch,
you have laid the foundation for extraordinary exe-
cution. When Kennedy said to the moon and back
by the end of the decade, he threw that switch.
formance and reaching their goal, and this changes the
level at which they play.
When everyone on the team can see the score, the
level of play rises, not only because they can see what’s
working and what adjustments are needed, but also
because they now want to win.
There are four questions to ask when determining if a
scoreboard is likely to be compelling to the players:
1. Is it simple? Think about how many pieces of
data the coach is tracking on the sideline. Coaches need
this data to manage the game, but the scoreboard on the
field shows only the data needed to play the game.
2. Can I see it easily? It has to be visible to the
team. The results become personally important to the
team when the scoreboard is displayed where it can be
seen by everyone.
3. Does it show lead and lag measures? The lead
measure is what the team can affect. The lag measure is
the result they want.
4. Can I tell at a glance if I'm winning? If you
can't tell within five seconds whether you're winning or
losing, you haven't passed this test.
Keep in mind that their engagement is not because the
organization is winning, or even that you as their leader
are winning: it's because they are winning.
The 4 Disciplines and Team Engagement
Many believe that engagement drives results, and so
do we. However, we know now that results drive
engagement. Nothing affects morale and engagement
more powerfully than when a person feels he or she
is winning.
People will work for money and they will quit over
money, but many teams are filled with people who are
both well paid and miserable in their jobs.
A winning team doesn't need artificial morale boost-
ing. All the psyching up and rah-rah exercises companies
do to raise morale aren't nearly as effective in engaging
people as the satisfaction that comes from executing
with excellence a goal that really matters. ●
Discipline 4: Create a Cadence
of Accountability
The fourth discipline is to create a cadence of
accountability, a frequently recurring cycle of account-
ing for past performance and planning to move the score
forward. Discipline 4 is where execution happens.
Disciplines 1,2 and 3 set up the game; but until you
apply Discipline 4, your team isn’t in the game. This is
the discipline that brings the team members all together.
In Discipline 4, your team meets at least weekly in a
WIG session. This meeting lasts no longer than 20 to 30
minutes, has a set agenda and goes quickly, establishing
your weekly rhythm of accountability for driving
progress toward the WIG. Here’s the three-part agenda
for a WIG session and the kind of language you should
be hearing in the session:
1. Account: Report on commitments. “I commit-
ted to make a personal call to three customers who gave us
lower scores. I did, and here's what I learned…”
2. Review the scoreboard: Learn from successes
and failures. “Our lag measure is green, but we've got a
challenge with one of our lead measures that just fell to yellow.
Here's what happened…”
3. Plan: Clear the path and make new commit-
ments. “I'll meet with Bob on our numbers and come back
next week with at least three ideas for helping us improve.”
To prepare for the meeting, every team member
thinks about the same question: “What are the one or
two most important things I can do this week to impact
the lead measures?”
Remember that the WIG session should move at a fast
pace. The WIG session also gives the team the chance to
process what they've learned. You should often ask each
team member “What can I do this week to clear the
path for you?”
Each commitment must meet two standards: First,
the commitment must represent a specific deliverable.
Second, the commitment must influence the
lead measure.
If you simply tell your team what to do, they will
learn little. What you ultimately want is for each mem-
ber of your team to take personal ownership of the
commitments they make.
A Different Kind of Accountability
The accountability created in a WIG session is not
organizational, it’s personal. Instead of accountability to
a broad outcome you can't influence, it’s accountability
to a weekly commitment that you yourself made and
that is within your power to keep. When members of
the team see their peers consistently following through
on the commitments they make, they learn that the
people they work with can be trusted to follow through.
When this happens, performance improves dramatically.
The WIG session encourages experimentation with
fresh ideas. It engages everyone in problem-solving and
promotes shared learning. 4DX produces results not
Summary: THE 4 DISCIPLINES OF EXECUTION
4 Soundview Executive Book Summaries® www.summary.com
from the exercise of authority but from the fundamental
desire of each individual team member to feel signifi-
cant, to do work that matters, and ultimately, to win. ●
What to Expect
4DX is not a set of guidelines, but a set of disciplines.
Installing 4DX will require your finest efforts, but the
payoff will be a team that performs consistently and
with excellence.
Most teams go through five stages of behavior change:
• Stage 1: Getting clear. Success starts by getting to
crystal clarity on the WIG and the 4DX process. The
key actions in implementing 4DX are: Be a model of
focus on the wildly important goal(s), identify high-
leverage lead measures, create a players’ scoreboard and
schedule WIG sessions at least weekly.
• Stage 2: Launch. Some keys to a successful launch
are: Recognize that a launch phase requires focus and
energy — especially from the leader, remain focused and
implement the 4DX process diligently, and identify your
models, potentials and resisters.
• Stage 3: Adoption. Recognize that adoption of
the 4DX process will take time. Keys to successful adop-
tion of 4DX are: Focus first on adherence to the process
and then on results, make commitments and hold each
other accountable in WIG sessions, track results on a
visible scoreboard, make adjustments as needed, invest in
the potentials through additional training and mentoring,
and answer straightforwardly any issues with resisters and
clear the path for them if needed.
• Stage 4: Optimization. Encourage and recog-
nize abundant creative ideas for moving the lead
measures. Recognize excellent follow-through and
celebrate successes.
• Stage 5: Habits. Keys to help the team make 4DX
habitual are: Celebrate the accomplishment of the WIG,
move immediately on to new WIGs to formalize 4DX
as your operating system, emphasize that your new
operating standard is sustained superior performance on
lead measures, and help individual team members
become high performers by tracking and moving the
middle. If you could move the middle toward the sum-
mit of performance, the impact on results would be sig-
nificant. You do that by consistently motivating new
and better behavior, which is the aim of 4DX. ●
Installing Discipline 1: Focus on
the Wildly Important
Superb team performance begins with selecting one or
two WIGs. Focusing on these vital few goals is the
foundational principle of 4DX: Without it, your team
will get lost in the whirlwind.
Step 1: Consider the Possibilities
Begin by brainstorming possible WIGs:
• Brainstorm with peer leaders, especially if you are all
focusing on the same organizational WIG.
• Brainstorm with your team members or with a
representative group.
• Brainstorm alone.
Ideally, both the leader and the team participate in
defining the WIGs. “No involvement, no commitment.”
Step 2: Rank by Impact
When you're satisfied with your list of candidate team
WIGs, you're ready to identify the ideas that promise
the greatest potential impact on the overall organization-
al WIG. Avoid the trap of selecting WIGs that improve
the team's performance but might have little to do with
achieving the overall WIG.
Step 3: Test Top Ideas
Once you've identified a couple of high-impact WIG
candidates, test them against four specific criteria:
• Is the team WIG aligned to the overall WIG?
• Is it measurable? As one of our clients put it, “If
you’re not keeping score, you’re just practicing.”
• Who owns the results — our team or some other
team? Does the team have at least 80 percent owner-
ship of the result?
• Who owns the game — the team or the leader? If
the WIG depends too much on the functions that
Summary: THE 4 DISCIPLINES OF EXECUTION
www.summary.com Soundview Executive Book Summaries® 5
Make Sure the WIG
Is Achievable
We often encounter leaders who believe in set-
ting goals that are far beyond anything their team
can achieve, while privately acknowledging that
they’ll be satisfied if they get 75 percent of the goal.
This type of gamesmanship can significantly under-
mine your ability to drive engagement and results.
We’re not advocating goals that are easy to reach.
Set a goal that challenges the team to rise to their
highest level of performance but not beyond it.
PART 2: INSTALLING 4DX WITH
YOUR TEAM
only the leader performs, the team will quickly lose
interest in the game.
Step 4: Define the WIG
Once you’ve selected and tested your ideas for high-
impact team WIGs, make them as clear and measurable
as possible. Define the WIGs according to these rules:
• Begin with a verb. Simple verbs focus the mind
immediately on action. For example: “Cut costs” or
“Add one plant.”
• Define the lag measure. Lag measures tell you if
you’ve achieved the goal. They mark a precise finish
line for the team. Write lag measures in the format
from X to Y by when.
• Keep it simple. Most organizational goals are
vague, complex and pretentious.
• Focus on what, not how. Many teams define a
clear goal but then complicate it by adding a lengthy
description of how the goal will be achieved. The
WIG should focus exclusively on what the team
plans to achieve. ●
Installing Discipline 2: Act on the
Lead Measures
Acting on lead measures is essential to superb perfor-
mance, but it is also the single most difficult aspect of
installing 4DX in your team. There are three reasons
for this:
1. Lead measures can be counterintuitive.
2. Lead measures are hard to keep track of.
3. Lead measures often look too simple.
For example, a retail store chose this lead measure for
driving sales: Limit out of stocks on top items to 20 or
fewer per week. But if this simple lever is applied incon-
sistently, customers who can't find what they want will
not return. Just as a simple lever can move a big rock, a
good lead measure provides powerful leverage.
Step 1: Consider the possibilities.
Begin by brainstorming possible lead measures. A
famous example of a productive lead measure is the 15
percent rule at 3M Company requiring the research
teams to devote 15 percent of their time on projects of
their own choice. The author Jim Collins comments:
“No one is told what products to work on, just how
much to work. And that loosening of controls has led to
a stream of profitable innovations … 3M's sales and
earnings have increased more than 40-fold since institut-
ing the 15 percent rule.”
Step 2: Rank by Impact
We often hear team members say, “We need to do all
of these things.” No doubt they are all good things to
do, but the more you try to do, the less energy you
have to give to any one thing. Narrowing the focus to a
few lead measures permits stronger leverage.
Step 3: Test Top Ideas
Test high leverage lead measures against these
six criteria:
• Is it predictive? If the idea fails this test, even if it's
a good idea, eliminate it.
• Is it influenceable? Ask if the team has at least 80
percent control over the measure.
• Is it an ongoing process or a “once and
done”? The ideal lead measure is a behavior change
that becomes habitual and brings continuous
improvements.
• Is it a leader’s game or a team game? The
behavior of the team must drive the lead measure.
Lead measures connect the team to the WIG, but
only if it's the team's game to play.
• Can it be measured? If the WIG is truly wildly
important, you must find ways to measure the
new behaviors.
• Is it worth measuring? If it takes more effort than
its impact is worth, or has serious unintended conse-
quences, it fails the test.
Step 4: Define the Lead Measures
Answer these questions as you put the lead measures
in final form:
• Are we tracking team or individual perfor-
mance? Tracking team results allows for differences
in individual performance while still enabling the
team to achieve the outcome.
• Are we tracking the lead measure daily or
weekly? Daily tracking creates the highest level of
accountability because it demands the same perfor-
mance from every associate every day, where weekly
tracking allows for varying performance each day as
long as the overall result for the week is achieved.
• What is the quantitative standard? In other
words, “How much / how often / how consistently
are we supposed to perform?”
• What is the qualitative standard? In other words,
“How well are we supposed to perform?”
• Does it start with a verb? Simple verbs focus the
mind immediately on action.
Summary: THE 4 DISCIPLINES OF EXECUTION
6 Soundview Executive Book Summaries® www.summary.com
• Is it simple? State your lead measure in as few
words as possible.
The deliverable for Discipline 2 is a small set of lead
measures that will move the lag measure on the WIG. ●
Installing Discipline 3: Keep a
Compelling Scorecard
We’ve found that the more the team is involved in
designing the scoreboard, the more the scale is tipped to
instill their ownership.
Step 1: Choose a Theme
Choose a theme for your scoreboard that displays
clearly and instantly the measures you are tracking. You
have several options: trend lines, speedometer, bar chart,
andon (stoplight), or personalized.
We've seen even the most serious-minded individuals
jump into this effort. Cardiac nurses put surgical instru-
ments on the scoreboard; engineers set up flashing
lights. When the scoreboard becomes personal, they
become engaged.
Step 2: Design the Scoreboard
The team should design the scoreboard with these
questions in mind:
• Is it simple?
• Can the team see it easily?
• Does it contain both lead and lag measures?
• Can we tell at a glance if we're winning?
Step 3: Build the Scoreboard
Let the team build the scoreboard. The greater their
involvement, the better. Most teams embrace the oppor-
tunity to create their own scoreboard and often volun-
teer their own time for it. You can put up an electronic
sign, a poster, a whiteboard or even a chalkboard, as
long as it meets the design standards discussed here.
Step 4: Keep It Updated
The design of the scoreboard should make it easy to
update at least weekly. If the scoreboard is hard to
update, you'll be tempted to put it off when the whirl-
wind strikes. The leader should make very clear who is
responsible for the scoreboard, when it will be posted
and how often it will be updated.
The deliverable for Discipline 3 is a scoreboard that
keeps the team engaged. It's the sense of winning that
drives engagement — you'll see that every time you
update the scoreboard. ●
Installing Discipline 4: Create a
Cadence of Accountability
Avoid these common pitfalls that undermine the
cadence of accountability:
• Competing whirlwind responsibilities.
• Holding WIG sessions with no specific outcomes.
• Repeating the same commitment more than two
consecutive weeks.
• Accepting unfulfilled commitments. When a team
member fails to keep a commitment, you face the
moment that matters most.
Here are steps to handle this important moment in the
WIG session along with sample dialogue:
Step 1: Demonstrate Respect
Susan: “Jeff, I want you to know that the event last week
was a huge success, and without you, it could've been a disas-
ter.” Susan shows Jeff that she respects him as a team
member, but she also shows the team that she respects
the whirlwind.
Step 2: Reinforce Accountability
Susan: “Jeff, I also want you to know how important your
contribution is to this team. Without you, we can't reach our
goal.” Because Susan has made it clear that she respects
Jeff and the demands of the whirlwind, Jeff should be
able to see the importance of doing his best for the team.
Step 3: Encourage Performance
Susan: “Jeff, I know you want to help us follow through.
Can we count on you to catch up next week, by fulfilling last
week's commitment as well as the one you were planning on
making for next week?” Susan gives Jeff the opportunity
to report with real pride that all commitments have
been fulfilled.
Discipline 4 keeps your team in the game every week,
as the members connect their personal contributions to
the most important priorities of the organization. With
this comes not only the awareness that they are winning
on a key goal, but that they have become a winning
team. Which is the ultimate return on the investment
you make in 4DX.
The deliverable for Discipline 4 is a regular, frequent
WIG session that moves the lead measures. ●
Summary: THE 4 DISCIPLINES OF EXECUTION
www.summary.com Soundview Executive Book Summaries® 7
Best Practices from the Best
Dave Grissen, president of the Americas for Marriott
International, began by implementing the 4 Disciplines
in eight pilot hotels. These produced results so signifi-
cant that his team ultimately implemented the 4
Disciplines in more than 700 Marriott hotels over the
next two years. Here are his insights:
“First, design your implementation to fit your cul-
ture. Second, realize that it's harder to implement the
4 Disciplines in an organization that's already very suc-
cessful. Third, the senior leader must focus on holding
all leaders accountable. Fourth, make sure you have
the infrastructure to support your implementation.
Fifth, remember that implementing the 4 Disciplines
will raise the engagement of your team … Everyone
from our front-line staff to our management teams to
our COOs understand how what they are doing
impacts the company. And this gives our employees a
strong voice; everyone can make a difference.
“For great business skills or great life skills, the 4
Disciplines is an all-encompassing process about how
you hold yourself accountable, how you hold
others accountable, and ultimately, how you
execute better.” ●
Rolling Out 4DX Across the
Organization
Even though the 4 Disciplines are easy to understand,
in the end, they are still disciplines. It takes real work to
make them an established part of an organization's oper-
ation and culture.
The following are the key aspects of our approach:
• The 4 Disciplines must be implemented as a process,
not an event.
• The 4 Disciplines must be implemented with
intact teams.
• The 4 Disciplines must be implemented by
the leader.
The 4DX Installation Process
A six-step installation process leads not only to results,
but more important, to adoption of an “operating sys-
tem” for achieving your most important organizational
goals over and over again:
Step 1: Clarify the overall WIG.
Step 2: Design the team WIGs and lead measures.
This step usually requires two full days.
Step 3: Leader certification. In this critical step, which
usually requires a full day, the leaders learn how to
launch 4DX with their teams.
Step 4: Team launch. Leaders schedule and conduct a
team launch meeting that usually lasts about two hours.
In this session, they also design the team scoreboard and
assign responsibility for its completion.
Step 5: Execution with coaching. Leaders typically
need experienced guidance for about three months as
they foster new behaviors and encounter unexpected
challenges. Our experienced consultants coach leaders
while developing strong internal coaches for the organi-
zation.
Step 6: Quarterly summits. Leaders report to their
senior leaders on progress and results in the presence of
their peers. ●
Bringing It Home
It happens all the time. People approach us after a 4DX
work session, look around to make sure no one is listen-
ing, and whisper: “Do you think 4DX would work in
my personal life?” Our answer? Absolutely. The princi-
ples of focus, leverage, engagement, and accountability
seem to work at any level.
We know people who have used 4DX to achieve all
kinds of life goals: running a marathon, finishing a
degree, learning a new sport, even blending two families.
So many of the wildly important things in our lives
never get the attention we should give them because
they aren't urgent. Caring for our health, helping our
children, getting more education, strengthening our
marriage — these things tend to take second place to the
whirlwind of urgencies that require our attention
right now.
Do we think 4DX can apply to your personal life?
Our answer is a resounding yes! In fact, we think the
principles can help you to achieve any great purpose
you have in mind. ●
Summary: THE 4 DISCIPLINES OF EXECUTION
8 Soundview Executive Book Summaries® www.summary.com
RECOMMENDED READING LIST
If you liked The 4 Disciplines of Execution, you’ll also like:
1. The Advantage by Patrick Lencioni. Lencioni's first non-fiction book pro-
vides leaders with a groundbreaking, approachable model for achieving
organizational health.
2. Change the Culture, Change the Game by Roger Connors and Tom Smith.
Learn how to build a culture of accountability in your organization.
3. Escape Velocity by Geoffrey A. Moore. Moore offers a pragmatic plan to
move beyond past success and drive next-generation growth from new
lines of business.
PART 3: INSTALLING 4DX IN
YOUR ORGANIZATION