How Progressive Organizations Actually Get Stuff Done

If you're anything like me, (and you decided to sign up for these emails, so I've got to imagine you are), you've probably found yourself thinking:

What is it that separates the most progressive and innovative organizations from the rest?

If every organization aspires to be relevant and sustainable, what's the "secret sauce" behind the ones that actually do?

An easy answer could be, "Well, it's because of the CEO."

Ok, maybe...

Although, I find there's a misconception that CEOs are like the Wizard of Oz. They sit behind a curtain and make sweeping decisions that affect the entire organization like they are some great ruler who has the final say on everything.

From my in-the-chair experience, that's not how great organizations function.

In fact, sometimes CEOs get too much credit for the things an organization accomplishes.

So if broad decision-making from the top isn't the mark of a progressive organization, then what's really happening when you see an organization seem to BREAK THE MOLD™ and achieve something special?

I want to share a few things I believe contributed to the many innovative and progressive things WE did at Baker Tilly that led to the many unique results WE accomplished.

These are also the things I'm working on with the senior leadership teams I'm advising today.

Whether you're a CEO, middle manager, or aspiring leader, my hope is you can make use of these things to help you and your organization actually get stuff done—and in doing so, become the relevant and sustainable organizations you aspire to be.

Meaningful Progress is a Collective Effort.

First, let's dispel this idea that CEOs are the Wizard of Oz making sweeping decisions that dictate the direction of the organization.

Can that happen? Sure.

In my mind, great CEOs (and great leaders) listen to their leaders.

They don't assume they know everything, they don't believe they have to come up with all the answers, and they don't often make broad decisions that impact the entire organization without input.

Instead, great leaders empower the leaders in their organizations (or teams) to get things done. It's a collective effort.

They listen to the ideas of their leaders (the people with deep knowledge of the work) and use their positional authority to provide support and resources to empower them to move the needle and accomplish things.

It was rare that I sat at my desk as CEO and thought, "You know what, I've decided on my own we're going to do this so we're going to do it."

No, I sat in meetings with my leadership team, talked with people 1 on 1 to uncover great ideas, and listened to understand how I could support people in accomplishing things.

Then I helped pave a pathway for people to execute—and sometimes that meant getting out of the way.

The most meaningful progress doesn't come from one person, it's a collective effort. There's great power in a team.

Innovation is Inherently Risky.

The most progressive organizations aren't looking to play it safe. Period.

When I was at Baker Tilly, we recognized that doing things the way we've always done them was not going to lead to the differentiated results we were looking for.

So, we had to embrace taking risks. What's a risk?

Well, it's when you make a decision to do something without being 100% certain of the outcome.

Every organization that aspires to BREAK THE MOLD™ has to take risks. Has to.

Sure, ideally they are calculated risks—they've been thought through and the potential downside has been mitigated.

At some point, though, you have to jump without knowing exactly what's going to happen.

When's the last time your organization or team took a real risk? One where you wanted to pursue something BOLD and said, "We're going to try this even though we're not sure what the outcome will be".

I'm learning that many organizations don't have a clear answer to that question and in my mind, that's a real problem.

Without risk, you're unlikely to achieve any sort of differentiated results. It's the ante to play if you aspire to be great.

Blockers & Inhibitors Will Stop Your Progress.

Just because I wanted to BREAK THE MOLD™ at Baker Tilly doesn't mean everyone in the organization agreed with me.

In fact, not at all.

Look, within any organization, there are going to be "blockers", or inhibitors, that actively oppose the strategies being employed.

In fact, I was on a recent call with a CEO who shared they were experiencing a few senior leaders acting counterproductively to the organization's strategy.

That's a HUGE problem. Many people within the organization are seeing and being influenced by those senior leaders.

When I asked what was being done, the CEO shared that the leaders were "brilliant" and "highly experienced" so they weren't willing to address them or move them out of the organization.

"I'm not ready to do something right now... but I might have to in 6 months."

That's a dangerous place to be...

As a leader, you have to be intentional about addressing these people.

They often stand in the way of executing strategy and you better believe that other people in the organization are listening to them. A faction of people standing in the way of executing strategy is a BIG problem.

I bet you can identify someone in your organization right now who you know is a blocker or inhibitor—do you realize that by not having a difficult conversation with them, you are letting them hold the organization's strategy hostage?

And by all means, they are difficult conversations... I've had many of them.

My approach to having these conversations is to focus on the macro—focus on the strategy.

Start by emphasizing the person's role in accomplishing the project or strategy, not their role in accomplishing something for YOU. Keep the focus on the strategy, not the thing they are doing or not doing that is standing in the way of executing it.

From my experience, telling someone they are off-strategy is painful for them to hear—assuming they are a team player.

And sometimes, as Stephen Chipman once said, "If you can't change the people, change the people."

Innovation is difficult enough... Everyone needs to be rowing in the same direction in order to bring progressive ideas to life.

The most effective leaders (and the most progressive organizations) address those people so strategy can be executed.

Now, Go Get Stuff Done.

Of course, there are many things that contribute to an organization's success. That was certainly true during my time at Baker Tilly.

I believe organizations that:

• listen to their leaders

• are willing to take risks

• effectively address blockers and inhibitors

have a great foundation to execute and achieve something meaningful.

Those are the foundational elements to actually getting stuff done.

Now, it's time to reflect on your organization or team...

Where in this equation do you have work to do? What's a step you can take this week to move in the right direction?

As always, I'm a phone call away if you'd like to discuss any friction points you're experiencing to building a progressive organization like I've written about here.

No matter your title, you can be the reason your organization takes meaningful steps toward achieving something special.

With intention,
Alan D Whitman