In his first year as managing partner of Plante Moran, Bill Hermann visited many of the major accounting firms in the country. One day, after he had visited with most of the firms, he and I were talking. He said something like, “You know, Tom, the strategies and tactics of the other firms look very similar to ours. It’s all about execution.” I believe he was right. Most of the companies I have worked with have pretty good strategies and reasonable tactics. What distinguishes the best performers from the average performers is execution, or the way they go about achieving their objectives. Do you have clearly defined goals? More importantly, are you and your team achieving your company’s goals? Although technology has enriched our lives and businesses, it has also created a lot of new distractions that easily divert our attention and interfere with our plan of action. We know what we should be doing, but are we actually following through?

How would you evaluate your execution?