As good as Tony’s strategic thinking is, his execution is even better. This is where many leaders and their companies fall short. They may spend time and money developing sound strategies but fail to pay attention to the details necessary for effective execution. In Tony’s Webistics scheme, he figured out how to get the broker’s license and set up an operation through a legitimate brokerage house and then he had Christopher supervise the two "brokers," Matt and Sean. Tony made sure he had the necessary resources and the adequate supervision to ensure that the scheme was carried out properly. Similarly, in Tony’s HUD deal, he mapped out the plan, identified the talent needed to make it work, and then split the supervision between himself and Ralph to ensure that the plan was executed as he envisioned it. Tony even went so far as to drive over and look at the houses that were bought as part of the scheme. When he discovered that one of the buildings was a crack house, he leaned on the assemblyman to make sure the house was "cleaned up." Tony recognized that the crack house might create an obstacle, and his hands-on efforts cleared that obstacle.
TONY ON ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF EXECUTING A STRATEGY
"What do I get if I whack Carmine?"
Tony gives orders, but he doesn’t limit his involvement to issuing commands. In many instances, he’ll become personally involved in making sure an order is carried out as he specified and he’ll do what he can to help others achieve the results he wants. He realizes that the devil may be in the details. Too many leaders view execution as "beneath them." They deem developing a strategy worthy of their time, but the nitty-gritty details of implementing that strategy strike them as mundane. They may be great strategists, but their reputation is as poor strategists because something always seems to go wrong between the idea and the execution.
To make sure your strategic execution is as solid as your strategic thinking, you should do the following.
Get involved in some aspect of the implementation process. Realistically, you’re not going to have time to visit your version of a crack house. If you’re undertaking a major strategy, this endeavor may be occurring across a wide geographical territory and involve hundreds or even thousands of people. Still, no matter how massive a strategic initiative might be, you can be personally involved in rolling out some aspect of it. Whether it’s a trip with your purchasing agent to supervise selection of a particular material or going online with your management information systems (MIS) person to beta-test new software, you can obtain a firsthand look at how your idea appears in the field. This is always a revealing process for the strategist because she knows the strategy better than anyone and is more likely to discern the glitches before anyone else or sense how a process should be tweaked. Therefore, make sure you have some implementation responsibility.
Be brutally honest in your assessment of what’s needed to get things done. Don’t fool yourself into thinking you have the resources you need or the time necessary to meet the deadline. Too often, strategists become so wrapped up in their visions that they convince themselves they can make their strategy happen through sheer force of will. This enthusiasm and idealism is useful for giving birth to the strategy, but it can be counterproductive once the strategy is fully formed and needs nurturing. Shortfalls in time, money, and people resources doom promising strategies, and you need to face facts about these shortfalls sooner rather than later. It’s tough to admit that you don’t have what you need to make a strategy work, but if you’re like Tony, you’ll exert your muscle or your charm to gather these resources preexecution.