Establishing and growing a great enterprise is a little bit like writing a great novel. Novelists need to pay a lot of attention to the big picture: plot, structure, character, voice, themes. But at the end of the day, if they want to get their novel out of their head and onto the page, there’s only one way to do it: write. Sentence by sentence, word by word.
Simply put, you need to execute.
If you want to succeed as an entrepreneur, you have to sweat the small stuff. So what steps can you take to ensure your vision translates into reality?
Set deadlines, and stick to them. Your business strategy is meaningless unless you can execute it in a timely manner. If you set deadlines that are concrete and realistic and then insist those deadlines are honored, work will get done. What’s more, you’ll be building a culture of discipline within your enterprise.
Also, practice milestone management. Break your strategic plan down into achievable steps, or milestones, which map out a clear path to achieving your objective. Assign each milestone an owner, someone responsible for its execution, and give each a deadline as well. But milestone ownership and deadlines can’t be top-down decisions. Seek input from the team responsible for the milestone.
You’ll also want to keep it SMaC – that’s S-M-a-C, and it stands for Specific, Methodical, and Consistent. If you intentionally approach all your work with this mindset, you’ll avoid costly mistakes and complete your tasks to the highest standard. Don’t keep SMaC to yourself, either. Incorporate it into your team’s workflow, by implementing consistent processes, cross-checking systems, and rigorous contingency planning into every aspect of your enterprise.
Finally, empower your whole team to execute. If you’re an entrepreneur or a founder, of course you’re motivated to execute your strategy. But you need to bring everyone else onside, too. Make sure everyone’s clear on what needs to be done and why. Assign your staff to roles where they’ll thrive and feel inspired. And provide autonomy and support in equal measure.
Your big vision will remain just that – a vision – unless you can turn it into something concrete. But, with accountability, consistency, and discipline, even your most aspirational business goals can be met.
