A Resolution For Better Plan Execution

Kenneth Dodd, a marketing consultant and contributor for The California North County Times, offers his views on "A New Resolution For Better Plan Execution."

His premise:

• Every year, we gather our thoughts and consider resolutions for the coming year.
• No matter the goal, it requires us to formulate a strategy that helps us to achieve our desired results. And here lies the problem.
• Formulating strategy is one thing. Executing it is another.
• The simple truth is most of us are trained to plan, not to execute. Execution is all too often learned in the "school of hard knocks."

For any business caring about its brand's promise, becoming better versed in the ways of plan execution is a must. In fact, place it high on this coming New Year's resolution list. Do so and you gain a tremendous competitive advantage over your competitors who continue to ignore its importance.

BOTTOMLINE: "When developing your New Year's resolutions begin by establishing a strategy execution model as goal No. 1. Do so and you will have taken an important first step in making your upcoming planned strategies work as needed. How you execute your planned strategies is a key to strategy success. Clarify each and every step of an execution plan with your employees.

As you examine your current approach to implementing your plans, you will discover much of the difficulty of execution is due to the obstacles or impediments to it. These may include the requisite time frames needed for execution; involvement of various people in the process; poorly defined or vague strategy; conflicts in the organization or unclear responsibility and accountability."