After Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan published Execution The discipline of getting things done (ISBN 0-609-61057-0), in 2002, every business on this planet rushed out and dropped copies off to their managers and said Execute the quieter implication was, or exit.

Why did this happen? Well most managers realize that there is a gap between where they are and where theyd like to be.

So did handing out gazillions of copies of the book suddenly turn us into a world of executioners? No, of course not. If the managers who passed around the book had taken the time to read more than the title they would have realized there is a mountain of work to do to become execution focused. Many businesses are not at the point where managers and staff can actually execute.

Developing a shared vision is one thing. Living that vision in ones daily life is quite another. Companies that execute do just that. Having values and living your values, is another thing. Culture, what does that mean to you? Are you execution focused or trying to keep the boss out of your hair? Do you know what you should be doing?

This is it in a nutshell. What are the top 10 most important things for you to be doing in any given period? Do you know? Do your staff? Your boss, if you have one? Your board if you think you dont?

Heres the test. Figure out what makes you and your business, or your department, great. What makes it suck? How can you improve on both? What values do you need to apply to be consistent with your inner voice? Now take the exercise to your team and when you have 200 of the best ideas select just 10 and make them the focus of your business for the next year.

Sound simple? It is, BUT... It will take some work figuring our the metrics of each idea or goals, determine an owner and report on it weekly and monthly dont let it slip too far below your desires or youll never catch up and you will all lose motivation and enthusiasm for the execution. If you really cant achieve it after three months, you probably have a functional problem that needs attention. Resolve it soon, before the end of the year and you still will have some wild success that you never had before.

Go on, make your day! Make the next year yours.

Graeme Nichol

What differentiates Graeme is the depth and breadth of his experience in management. He has either been in management or has been consulting to management for over 25 years. What he has seen and experienced is an unlimited resource that his clients can tap when resolving their business and team problems.

His experience includes consulting with large practices such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, Coopers and Lybrand and Price Waterhouse; and boutique performance improvement implementation practices such as Knox D?Arcy Intl. and KrestaHague Intl. He has configured and managed complex ERP software implementations, worked in productivity and performance improvement, quality improvement, change management, strategy implementation, and managed both small and large projects. Graeme has worked in manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, communication, direct marketing, banking, beverages, consumer packaged goods, foodstuffs, and retail amongst others.

In his years of experience gained around the globe, he always found that business problems were usually either caused or solved by a team. If a team worked well together they could overcome amazing hurdles but if they were not aligned all types of hurdles appeared. He has gained extensive experience developing high performing teams. He knows what makes a team works and how to get them to function as one.

Besides management he is passionate about teaching and training. He has instructed many workshops and training sessions on various aspects of business such business planning, sales training, team building, introduction to business, conflict resolution, negotiations, general management, costing, management accounting, management reporting, developing management metrics and operations management.

When not working with his clients, Graeme?s passions are flying and sailing. His passion for teaching extends into his private life where he teaches flying and basic aerobatics. He has a small aerobatic plane which he loves to take up and throw around the sky. He has raced a 40ft yacht across the Atlantic Ocean, and competed in numerous sailing regattas, in the USA and abroad as well as cruised the East Coast of the USA with his family. Sailing is always a team event as each team member controls a small part of the boat. Team members need to be aligned and focused to achieve the results they desire.

Graeme has a BS degree in Agricultural Economics and an MBA from the University of Cape Town, RSA

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