Execution Solution

Greg Butterfield, the CEO of Lindon-based Altiris, recently made a presentation on how to build a successful team. One opinion which he expressed is that the leading cause of business failure is not poor strategy, but poor execution of good strategy (good team or no). BUSINESSES FAIL BECAUSE THEY DO NOT PROPERLY EXECUTE ON THEIR STRATEGY.

One of his suggested remedies is to check the progress of strategy execution with specific benchmarks. If those benchmarks are not being met then the strategy itself may need reevaluation. The focus, however, should be placed on specific goals related to execution. In order to keep those goals grounded and realistic, he related a simple acronym:

Goals should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time Bound

The Academy for Creating Enterprise

Last night my wife and I joined Steve and Bette Gibson and a room full of other amazing individuals at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City. Steve and Bette have founded the Academy for Creating Enterprise in the Philippines that teaches LDS return missionaries the skills necessary to start, own, and operate a small business. Around 1,000 return missionaries and former mission presidents have passed through the 8 week course; there are now over 1,600 individuals employed through the efforts of those academy graduates.

I came back from my mission to an education, job opportunities, and plenty of food on the table one way or the other. A lot of the elders in Brazil where I served went home to nothing, and that is not an exaggeration. Their homecoming included no income, no educational opportunities (which is why Brazil is not the powerhouse it should be), and typically a sparse to non-exsistent support structure to help get them back on their feet. I have pure admiration and quite a bit of love for the efforts of Steve, Bette, Andy, and Tony. What an amazing organization. You can visit their website at http://www.creatingenterprise.com/.