Order and Steps – ElPropósito2 min de lectura

Keys to execution

The key to any objective is the consistent action we take to reach it. Its origin, though, is its essence. Its root cause is purpose, and purpose shapes in a unique way both what happens along the road and what we pictured from the start as the reality we would reach. Two big opportunities come up when we define objectives. The first is defining them clearly. The second is overcoming the difficulty of tying them to a shared purpose. Why does this check matter?

Take strategy and objectives. Most strategic plans come from pulling together the needs and opportunities identified inside and outside the organization. Yet they lack the essential levers that move the whole machine in the same direction. They may have a set of values, for instance, that won’t necessarily build a culture that moves the organization toward its vision. Another big gap is the lack of a realistic vision that reflects the scale of the changes we are living through, one that recognizes change today moves at a very different speed than it did ten years ago.

The same happens on a personal level. Without a defined life purpose, and a vision backed by our own values, we often set short-term objectives that last a few months, or some limited stretch, once we put them into practice. They never become part of our discipline or our daily routine. Why? How does a good initiative end up abandoned? Lack of discipline? Lack of commitment? Many initiatives fall short for one reason: purpose. Anything outside a purpose is easily dropped. Put positively, "whatever we set out to do around a purpose has a better chance of success." (In my practice as a coach, client after client gives me more and more evidence of this, and I see the same in my consulting work when we build strategic plans with companies that are clear on their vision, values and purpose.)

In what order should purpose, vision, mission and values come so that the plans and objectives we set get executed successfully? Success depends on external and internal factors. Some external variables are beyond our control. For the ones we can influence, what is in our hands is knowing how to make the most of them. With internal factors, the responsibility is far greater. Here we are practically obliged to own everything we can do and everything within our control. Before taking any step toward a specific objective, it is worth being clear that purpose, vision, values and mission all answer one basic question: why are we doing this, or why are we about to do it?

Warm regards and all the best,

Rodrigo Baccaro

Author: Rodrigo Baccaro

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