Book Club: 4DX Part 3

Shawn Today

Today we’re continuing the “Book Club” series, going through, The 4 Disciplines of Execution

I’m reading this book right now and am loving it. Over the next several shows I’ll be sharing highlights and key takeaways from the book, and also working through the book’s chapters and how to apply the ideas and themes of the book.

Note that just listening to the podcast isn’t exactly a substitute for reading the book. I’m going to share the main takeaways that are impacting me from this book, but I’m not exhaustively sumarizing it. So, my point being, if the books sounds awesome to you, I highly recommend you buy it and read it.

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The 4 Disciplines of Execution are:

1. Focus on the Wildly Important
2. Act on the Lead Measures
3. Keep a Compelling Scoreboard
4. Create a Cadence of Accountability

Hilghlights from chapter 3:

“The third discipline is to make sure everyone knows the score at all times, so that they can tell whether or not they are winning.” (pg. 65)

“Simply put, people disengage when they don’t know the score. When they can see at a glance whether or not they are winning they become profoundly engaged.” (pg. 66)

“A great team can’t function without a scoreboard that compels action. Without it, energy dissipates, intensity lags, and the team goes back to business as usual.” (pg. 67)

“In implementing Discipline 3, you and your team need to build a players’ scoreboard, one that’s designed solely to engage the players on your team to win.” (pg. 67)

“The fundamental purpose of a players’ scoreboard is to motivate the players to win.” (pg. 68)

“Characteristics of a Compelling Players’ Scoreboard” (pg. 70-71)

1. “Is it simple? It has to be simple.”

2. “Can I see it easily? It has to be visible to the team.”

3. “Does it show lead and lag measures? It should show both the lead and lag measures.”

4. “Can I tell at a glance if I’m winning? It has to tell you immediately if you are winning or losing.”

“You and your team make a bet that you can move the lead measures and that those lead measures will move the lag measure. When it starts to work, even people who have shown little interest become very engaged as the entire team starts to see that they are winning.” (pg. 73)

“Many believe that engagement drives results, and so do we. However, we know now, and have witnessed consistently over the years, that results drive engagement.” (pg. 75)

“People are most satisfied with their jobs (and therefore most motivated) when those jobs give them the opportunity to experience achievement.” (pgs. 75-76)

“A winning team doesn’t need artificial morale boosting. All the psyching up and rah-rah exercises companies do to raise morale aren’t nearly as effective in engaging people as the satisfaction that comes from executing with excellence a goal that really matters.” (pg. 76)

Download here. (12:30)