Execution and Individual Perceptions: Why can’t some people get things done as effectively as others

When assessing why any particular organization executes more effectively than another, there are many perspectives to take. It is important to look at leadership, individual skills, team effectiveness, and the overall organizational culture, structure, systems, and processes. Within the organization, individual perceptions and differences and many times the limiting beliefs for leaders can have an impact on effectiveness in execution.

Individual orientations to time, relationships, influence and results make a difference in how effective individuals and leaders are in executing within an organization. Here are some thoughts about those orientations and their effect on the ability to execute:

• One: Orientation to time. Some individuals have a variety of issues related to time that get in their way when it comes to getting things done. They procrastinate. They have trouble setting boundaries. They fail to set proper priorities. They get distracted. They have issues asserting appropriately or saying no, especially to authority figures. They have trouble delegating and keeping a strong mental focus on the tasks at hand. They lack the ability to be present.

• Two: Orientation to relationships. Other individuals are not as astute as they could be when it comes to forming professional relationships, they are not good connectors. They don’t think proactively enough about building their connections and power base within the organization. Therefore, when they need to make important requests, they lack the trust and connections they need to get things done.

• Three: Orientation to political power and influence. Regardless of the organization there is, to some extent a political nature and power structure that influences how relate and how they get things done. Some individuals and leaders are not politically savvy. They have not made the connections, nor built the trust that allows them to have a positive influence. They don’t understand the informal power structure in the organization. When they have an idea, they don’t have a clear picture of what it will take to make their idea be accepted up, down, and across the organization.

• Four: Orientation to results. Some leaders put other things before success. They would rather be right. They would rather look good. They would rather be the smartest person in the room. With these false priorities, they don’t achieve the needed payoff, they don’t achieve the real victory – not for their long-term career, and not their team or organization.

We also notice that many leaders can suffer from limiting beliefs that hold back their ability to execute, and that often tie back to the orientations we’ve discussed above. These limiting beliefs, tied to the leader’s lack of true personal leadership prevents them from being effective as they may lack the necessary self-awareness, emotional intelligence and strong self-image necessary for building trust, influence and connections. For instance, a leader who does not believe they can trust other people is going to have issues building professional relationships and will also spend a lot of time doing things themselves instead of delegating. A leader who has a belief that everything must be perfect will also have issues with time.

At The LEAPS Coaching Group we take a comprehensive view of execution. We believe effective execution is tied directly to an individuals capacity for personal leadership,

building connections, having positive expectancy, persistence and getting results. When working with an organization we almost always find at least one area where the individual leader or executive has an insight that leads to measurable gains in performance – along with greater satisfaction and career potential.

To learn more download and take our Execution Assessment to identify any gaps in your organization’s ability to executive effectively.