Time to Read: 2 min.

In my previous Thought Letter, I introduced the concept of “collaborate to create” as the next logical step after achieving consensus on the problem in what I call the “IQ +EQ + XQ = VC” equation. The initial stages of awareness and alignment among team members is essential, but now it’s time to act.

Value creators know that awareness and alignment are necessary but insufficient. They understand that it takes a coordinated effort, involving the right resources, to achieve the ultimate goal: creating value, for stakeholders.

With a clear understanding of the problem and a proposed solution at hand, value creators go beyond the basic planning, execution, and measurement framework. They bring teams together to focus on:

Resource Allocation: Ensuring that the right resources are in place to align with a clear vision, stakeholder expectations, and strategic alignment. This means avoiding the “BAGGL” approach (best available guy/gal locally) because, as we know, BAGGLs get eaten for breakfast.

First-Team Principle: Operating under the principle of being a unified team where accountability extends both horizontally and vertically.

Pre-Mortem Planning: Conducting a pre-mortem analysis to anticipate scenarios and plan for execution risks proactively.

Adaptability and Learning: Being open to course-correcting when necessary, while keeping egos in check.

Conflict as an Opportunity: Viewing challenges and conflicts as opportunities for growth rather than as barriers to progress.

Effective Communication: Prioritizing communication at every step of the process and recognize that it can’t be overemphasized.

Research tells us that up to 75% of initiatives (including acquisitions) fail to deliver their intended value. This failure can often be attributed to solving the wrong problem, failing to engage the right people, and being trapped in siloed thinking and behavior during execution. As one insightful CEO put it, “We tackled the wrong problem with the wrong people in the wrong way and were surprised by the lack of the desired outcome.” It’s crucial that we hold our views with flexibility.

So how do you approach execution? Do you go beyond the basics? Ona scale of one to ten, how collectively committed and mutually accountable is your team? What if you imbedded the above steps in your execution framework?  Could this consistently place you among the 25% that succeed? What impact could that have on your organization, team, and personal brand?

Building our “XQ” (execution quotient) may not seem as glamorous as identifying a problem or rallying a team to solve it, but let’s be clear: those who can execute effectively are highly valued by boards, CEOs, and investors. They attract numerous opportunities.