The Reading Warehouse

Executing strategic goals is the greatest challenge in business today. Aligning the organization's work teams with your most important objectives is a never-ending battle. In addition, keeping teams engaged and focused on the top goals is critical. Imagine an organization where every team--from senior leadership to the front line--is focused on the most important priorities and committed to achieving the Wildly Important Goals.

FranklinCovey has studied the topic of execution for several years in thousands of teams and in hundreds of organizations. Our research shows that execution breaks down in four ways:

1. People and teams don't know the goals. Either there are too many goals or the goals aren't clear.
2. People and teams don't know what to do to achieve the goals. The goals are not translated into day-to-day activities.
3. People and teams don't keep score. Few can tell at any moment if they are on track to achieve the organization's critical goals.
4. People and teams are not held accountable. For results, employees need relevant and timely feedback and regular accountability.

The 4 Disciplines of Execution will help you eliminate these breakdowns.

Dr. Stephen R. Covey is an internationally respected leadership authority, teacher, author, organizational consultant, and is co-founder and vice chairman of Franklin Covey Co. He is the author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, which Chief Executive magazine has called the most influential business book of the last 100 years. The book has sold nearly 20 million copies, and after 20 years, still holds a place on most bestseller lists.

Dr. Covey earned an MBA from Harvard and a doctorate from BYU, where he was a professor of organizational behavior. For more than 40 years, he has taught millions of people--including leaders of nations and corporations--the transforming power of the principles that govern individual and organizational effectiveness. He and his wife live in the Rocky Mountains of Utah.

Chris McChesney is the Global Practice Leader of Execution for FranklinCovey and one of the primary developers of The 4 Disciplines of Execution. For more than a decade, he has led FranklinCovey's ongoing design and development of these principles, as well as the consulting organization that has achieved extraordinary growth in many countries around the globe and impacted hundreds of organizations.