Follow the Leaders
Execution as Strategy
There was some meaty conversation around Jay Goltz’s ten points from his CEO Retreat talk on “Execution Over Brilliance”. One of our CEOs surprised Jay with the question “these 10 points are all tactics; what were your strategies?” and Jay answered, basically, “I didn’t have a strategy.”
I think he did, even if it wasn’t conscious. Repeatedly he said “What makes a company great, not just mediocre?” One of Jay’s strategies is definitely execution. He just didn’t write it down. After getting to know Jay a bit, it is clear to me that execution just describes his personality (more on that another time) and therefore, the strategy emanated from him as he built the business.
Some other comments from our LinkedIn group:
- It seems Jay’s strategy is: “To provide a great customer experience.” All his points (tactics) were ultimately aimed at taking care of his customers.
- I would add that Jay also placed emphasis on finding the right people, training them, and dealing with those that need to go…quickly.
- At one level I believe he described in detail the strategy of Kaizan, which of course has been around for some time. The tweak in his presentation was that he was using definitive examples of refinement processes across multiple areas within his business. He might otherwise say his strategy is that of a hands-on owner/manager, which is characterized by an unwavering attention to detail. While he might suggest he is an 80-20 rule proponent, there doesn’t appear to be anything that he and his culture are going to allow to slip into the 20% bin.
- A powerful strategy can definitely emerge from a culture that cares about everything. Back to Erika’s point – he is “consistently making those core directional choices that will best move [him] toward [his] hoped for future.” He obviously believes this cannot happen without finding, maintaining, and growing the best people.
- I agree. Providing superior customer service, a highly qualified workforce, and a great place to work as a differentiators is a strategy in his market. Jay’s philosophies and modes of operation are the tactics that support his successful strategy. It is no doubt this strategy that has lead to his success.
CEO Retreat Presenters Announced
We are pleased to announce the presenters for the 2010 CEO Retreat, April 27-29. All four have been speakers at Inc. 500 and other conferences and have received high marks from Virginia Council of CEOs members who were there.
Alan Beaulieu – Action-oriented economist who gives SMB CEOs tools to forecast and plan for trends in their own industry.
Jack Stack – Entrepreneur and open-book management guru. Since turning around a failing division on International Harvester in 1983, he and his team have spawned more than 40 new business ventures.
Erika Andersen – Advisor to CEOs, Erika breaks down business strategy with tools that make it simple to succeed.
Jay Goltz– An entrepreneur who took a custom frame shop in Chicago from startup to market leader, Jay is a sharp and funny commentator on the ups and downs of running a company.
Registration is now open here. The CEO Retreat is an exclusive event for Virginia Council of CEOs members and sponsors only.
CEO Shares His Bedtime Stories
David Ingram’s book 15 Bedtime Stories That Keep Entrepreneurs Awake at Night hits the shelves tomorrow. David is at the Inc. 500 Conference promoting the book and continuing to learn from other entrepreneurs. Follow his Blog www.15bedtimestories.com for updates from the conference and more great stories!
The book is approachable — partly because David is a great story teller who speaks from experience, and partly because he presents ideas in short, digestible chapters. Perfect for time-starved business-owner!
I am, of course, particularly fond of Chapter 4 “Don’t Isolate Yourself,” in which David shares his experience as a member of the Virginia Council of CEOs. His story is representative. I have had so many members over the years share similar tales of isolation cured by their CEO Roundtable.
Run out and get a copy. You will read it and enjoy it!
What a great idea! I’ll be there.
That’s what I heard today from a Virginia Council of CEOs member who got our invitation to our Social Media Workshop on June 25.
A recent luncheon focused on how businesses can use social media tools to grow. There was so much interest from the CEOs at the meeting who wanted the “how to” information for the major tools (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter) that we decided to offer a workshop with lots of time for Q&A. VACEOs member Doug Lucy, CEO of Adlinea, will lead this hands-on-your-laptop workshop for VACEOs members and sponsors
In addition to the basic how-to-use-it questions, we will address:
- Top business-getting features of the major tools
- Making sure you’ve got a strategy for using them, or it will be wasted time.
- An example action plan for using the tools
- Tips on making it work — sticking to it long enough to get results
What a great idea! I’ll be there.
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