Six Disciplines

JUNE 12, 2015

Authors Dan and Chip Heath (Made To Stick) offer a FastCompany article titled " Analysis of Paralysis ," in which they assert: "If your strategy doesn't help employees act, it's not a strategy. You don't need to embrace simplicity just so your people can comprehend your message. The point of simplicity is more fundamental: Simplicity allows people to act.".

Strategy 104

Strategy Analysis Quality Article 104

Six Disciplines

JULY 23, 2015

We would like to announce the release of our new Stakeholder Analytics Program which allows clients to gather information from stakeholders inside or outside the organization using web based surveying. Although surveying is a readily available service from other providers the Six Disciplines offering provides advanced functionality by integrating trended results tracking into the strategic and operating goals of the organization.

Software 102

Software Survey Project Consultative 102

Six Disciplines

JULY 10, 2015

Most leaders fail to understand the implication of the human nature barriers. Our natural tendency is to do what we like doing, not necessarily what we should. The topic of coaching offers the most insight into what it takes to deliver a complete strategy execution program. Strategy execution coaching implies that an accountability model exists. Employees in organizations will learn to be accountable – that is, they’ll do what is needed and expected – proportionate to the extent in which three f

Execution 98

Execution Strategy Executive Coaching Learning-by-Doing 98

Six Disciplines

JULY 31, 2015

Why is strategy execution so difficult? Why do we know what to do, but don’t always do it? Doing what we know we should requires someone who will keep us on track, to teach, direct and encourage us to do the things we know we should do – the difficult things that we rarely, if ever, follow through to the finish, if left to our own devices. While the majority of us have one or more "specialties", the majority of us just don’t know how to put together all the key steps of strategy, planning, organ

Execution 97

Execution Strategy Innovation Planning 97

Six Disciplines

JULY 24, 2015

What most business leaders think their greatest challenge is, isn’t. And whatever their problems are today, they’ll be different tomorrow and they will be bigger too. There is one business problem that if solved, will make solving all other problems easier. This foundational challenge is executing strategy. In other words, building an organization that has the ability to plan and execute, while at the same time, overcoming the inevitable surprises in business.

Execution 97

Execution Strategy Planning Development 97

Six Disciplines

MARCH 20, 2015

'"The greatest strategy in the world is useless - if you cannot execute it.". Here are the seven critical elements of strategy execution: People. Strategy formulation often gathers the "smartest people in the room." However, it''s not the senior leadership team that executes strategy - it''s everyone in your workforce. Get the right people in the right positions.

Execution 97

Execution Strategy Review Objective 97

Six Disciplines

FEBRUARY 6, 2015

'Although always important, communication is absolutely critical when deciding to adopt a strategy execution program like Six Disciplines. It’s challenging to manage the transition ("if nothing changes, nothing changes.") if people have no sense of where the changes are headed. Painting a picture for them can be difficult. The truth is that many organizations head into a transition state with nothing more than some basic ideas, some lofty goals and cherished values to guide them on their journey

Planning 96

Planning Goal Strategy Execution 96

Six Disciplines

JULY 17, 2015

A methodology, or method, is another name for any step-by-step approach to getting something done. A business-building methodology must include the steps that are essential for an organization to build and sustain a healthy, growing business. It must define how the organization sets its goals and priorities and organizes its resources to best achieve these goals.

Execution 93

Execution Strategy Document Learning-by-Doing 93

Six Disciplines

FEBRUARY 13, 2015

'The cumulative effects of misalignment are a significant constraint on the ability of an organization to execute its strategy. In fact, research has shown that up to 50% of the resources of a typical organization are not being effectively applied to the mission and vision of the company. There are two types of organizational alignment: creeping and strategic.

Constraint 92

Constraint Objective Resources Goal 92

Six Disciplines

SEPTEMBER 24, 2015

If there is one maxim which describes the frustration many C-suite executives and senior level managers feel when trying to trying to get a strategy executed, it is: “People know what they are supposed to do. They just don’t do it.”. Bright minds spend considerable time and energy drawing up ambitious plans for things like market share growth and increased revenue generation — only to watch staff put out fires all day rather than work on the strategy which will prevent most fires in the first pl

Execution 91

Execution Strategy How To Learning-by-Doing 91

Six Disciplines

JUNE 26, 2015

A recent poll of the Strategic Planning Community (SPC), a business social network of strategic planners hosted by the Association of Strategic Planning (ASP), shows that for the most part, the knee-jerk reactions to the downturn have passed and most companies are moving towards more strategic moves. Key findings: 82% reported that their companies are now thinking more strategically.

Company 91

Company Strategic Planning Tactics Survey 91

Six Disciplines

MAY 29, 2015

There are all types of coaches: a tennis coach, golf coach, swim coach, music coach, executive coach, and so on. What do all these coaches have in common? More importantly, why should you consider working with a business coach? A coach won't do the work for you, but here's how a coach can help launch you (and your business) to the next level: A coach can be a confidant.

Brainstorming 91

Brainstorming Executive Coaching Sports Mentor 91

Six Disciplines

MAY 29, 2015

There are all types of coaches: a tennis coach, golf coach, swim coach, music coach, executive coach, and so on. What do all these coaches have in common? More importantly, why should you consider working with a business coach? A coach won't do the work for you, but here's how a coach can help launch you (and your business) to the next level: A coach can be a confidant.

Brainstorming 89

Brainstorming Executive Coaching Sports Mentor 89

Six Disciplines

SEPTEMBER 29, 2015

Time tracking is a productivity tool which can get a bad rap. For employees, being forced to account for what they do with their time all day can feel like they are being micromanaged or thought of as untrustworthy. For project managers or execs already burdened with administrative tasks, time tracking can represent just another tedious thing they have to do.

Productivity 89

Productivity Products How To Software 89

Six Disciplines

AUGUST 7, 2015

With the release of the Microsoft Windows 10 operating system on July 29 th , 2015 Microsoft increased the amount of bandwidth available for Windows Update downloads. While this change makes sense, our testing to determine how much bandwidth is actually consumed indicates speeds of 50Mbps or greater. . We are noticing this change is causing internet bandwidth issues when our employees download Windows Updates to their machine directly from Microsoft servers.

Download 89

Download Library Follow-up Management 89

Six Disciplines

AUGUST 7, 2015

Occasionally, circumstance and progress in seemingly unrelated areas combine to create an opportunity for solving old problems in new and exciting ways. One of those breakthrough periods is upon us now, with regard to strategy execution. This inflection point has developed primarily because large corporations have made huge investments developing best practices for effective management, strong leadership and strategy execution.

Execution 89

Execution Strategy Business Intelligence Tools 89

Six Disciplines

JUNE 2, 2015

Exciting news for the Six Disciplines community! The owners (Gary Harpst, Vern Strong and Jack Ridge) of Six Disciplines own or are invested in several technology based organizations. This Solomon Cloud Solutions blog post describes a reorganization of all those companies to better leverage shared cloud technology investments under the umbrella organization called Solomon Cloud Solutions.

Reference 89

Reference Technology Strategy Blog 89

Six Disciplines

MAY 22, 2015

As baby boomers retire, companies are failing - in a big way - to transfer knowledge to the next generation of workers. According to a recent study conducted by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), only 29% of responding organizations report that they incorporate retirement forecasts into their knowledge transfer practices, and only a third add "skills gap analysis" into those forecasts.

Competitive Intelligence 89

Competitive Intelligence Report Mentor Analysis 89

Six Disciplines

MARCH 6, 2015

'The barriers that keep us from achieving the kind of business excellence that lasts are deeply rooted and wont be removed by "quick fixes.". At Six Disciplines , our research shows that there are six fundamental barriers to enduring business excellence: 1. Poorly Understood Strategy. While most organizations have a strategy, most people do not understand it.

Core Competence 89

Core Competence Short-term Long-term Fashion 89

Six Disciplines

FEBRUARY 20, 2015

'According to the consultants at Marakon , companies typically realize only about 60% of their strategies’ potential value because of defects and breakdowns in planning and execution. Yet, by following seven simple rules, you can get a lot more than that. Marakon found that the processes companies use to develop plans and monitor performance make it difficult to discern whether the strategy-to-performance gap stems from poor planning, poor execution, both, or neither.

Execution 89

Execution Strategy Long-term Planning 89

Six Disciplines

SEPTEMBER 11, 2015

“You've got to eat while you dream. You've got to deliver on short-range commitments, while you develop a long-range strategy and vision and implement it. The success of doing both. Walking and chewing gum if you will. Getting it done in the short-range, and delivering a long-range plan, and executing on that.” - Jack Welch. If you’re like most companies, odds are you have no problem coming up with worthy long term goals and basic plans for achieving them.

Execution 88

Execution Strategy Succession Short-term 88

Six Disciplines

JULY 9, 2015

Solomon Cloud Solutions , a sister company of Beyond Software and Six Disciplines announces the availability of NEW Web Apps Customization Services for the Microsoft Dynamics SL product. Solomon Cloud Solutions’ years of experience creating software at and for Microsoft, enables them to customize web apps that align closely with the Microsoft Software Development Life Cycle and development best practices.

Software 85

Software Consultative Engineering Diversity 85

Six Disciplines

JUNE 5, 2015

Let’s consider what accountability is, and how we can build an organizational culture that encourages it. Be definition, accountability is being answerable or responsible for something. Accountability opens the door to ownership – not necessarily financial ownership -- but certainly emotional ownership, where someone acknowledges they’re responsible for some aspect of the organization.

Power 85

Power Definition Learning-by-Doing Commitment 85

Six Disciplines

OCTOBER 20, 2015

When we work with firms to shore up their ability to execute strategy, one of the things that must often take place is a shift in management style. This is a challenge for those executives and leaders who have fixed ideas about how to get others to do their work. They often feel that changing their style will somehow make them look weak if they are currently authoritarian, or mean if they are used to being “everyone’s sweetheart.”.

Compliance 84

Compliance Tactics Execution Strategy 84

Six Disciplines

JANUARY 30, 2015

'The primary role of the execution system component is to help organizations get the right things done. To do this requires identifying execution problems as early as possible and addressing them. Think of an organization as a system for deciding what to do (a strategy, a plan) and the managing the execution of that plan. When the system (the business) makes an error, choosing to do the wrong thing or forgetting to do something that is required, the problem must be corrected.

Software 84

Software Execution System Strategy 84

Six Disciplines

JANUARY 23, 2015

'A complete strategy execution program depends upon the power of a shared community learning. First, the power of community is required to change the economics for implementing such a program within small and midsized organizations. Second,learning is required to overcome the natural tendency of individuals and organizations to wander from the very disciplines that can deliver them from the status quo.

Execution 84

Execution Strategy Core Competence Executive Coaching 84

Six Disciplines

JULY 30, 2015

In addition to Web Apps Customization services, Solomon Cloud Solutions , a sister company of Beyond Software and Six Disciplines announces the availability of NEW Web Apps Training Services for the Microsoft Dynamics SL product. Solomon Cloud Solutions is the leading source for Microsoft Dynamics Partners needing a variety of training, development and support services to manage their organization's growth proactively.

Training 80

Training Software Consultative Tools 80

Six Disciplines

OCTOBER 6, 2015

In any organization, there is a distinction between “The Leaders” and “The Managers.” Apart from nicer offices and bigger paychecks, the perceived difference is that leadership usually stays hands-off on the execution side of things and focuses mostly on strategy. A way to sum up this thought would be: “Leadership develops the vision, management executes it.”.

Management 102

Management Leadership System Execution 102

Six Disciplines

FEBRUARY 27, 2015

'Strategy execution is the single hardest challenge in business. What makes it so tough? Here''s a list of the primary execution challenges, based on surveys of organizational leaders: - Inability to manage change effectively or overcome internal resistance to change. - Strategy conflicts with the existing organizational structure. - Poor or inadequate information sharing among individuals or business units responsible for strategy execution. - Unclear communication of responsibility and/or ac

Execution 86

Execution Strategy Incentives Guidelines 86

Six Disciplines

JULY 16, 2015

Beyond Software , a Solomon Cloud Solutions company, and sister company of Six Disciplines , announces the availability of a new feature allowing the approval of timesheets by project. Timesheet approval by project now allows managers to stay on top of labor costs one project at a time. Previously timesheets could be approved one at a time, providing insight into what the employee worked on daily or weekly.

Software 80

Software Project Consultative Brand 80

Six Disciplines

MARCH 13, 2015

'Problems create opportunities. The impossible is a paradigm - Change your mind to change your performance. Ask why five times to get to the real answer. Eliminate excuses - do it right the first time. Correct errors immediately. Involve everyone - we are smarter as a group than a single individual. Reconsider rigid thoughts, situations change. Think simple, not perfect solutions.

Goal 97

Goal 97