Are you a chief executive seeking to maximise the value of your business? The "Empowering Excellence" program offers a proven roadmap to achieve sustainable excellent results. This program, developed through years of research and real-world application, was inspired by the "What" of Jim Collins's renowned studies and the "How" of Patrick Lencioni's insights.
Maximising Value - What + How
The underlying premise of the "Empowering Excellence" is that the combination of "What we do" and "How we do it" is the key to maximising the value of any enterprise. While each aspect is useful individually, together they multiply value. It is supplemented by other influential authors and practical experiences gained from 10 years as a Venture Capitalist, 18 years as a Vistage Chair and mentor to successful CEOs and business owners.
Inspired by Leading Business Thinkers
The "Empowering Excellence" program is the culmination of extensive research and practical application within TEC/Vistage groups over 18 years. The program's development was significantly influenced by pivotal meetings with Jim Collins and Patrick Lencioni in 2019. The big idea behind this program is to combine Collins's framework for identifying "what" makes companies great with Lencioni's principles on "how" to build a great culture. This program provides a practical approach to building an extremely successful enterprise and maximising its value.
Jim Collins: The Foundation of "What"
Jim Collins's work forms the bedrock of "What" needs to be done to create successful, enduring organisations. His research journey, spanning over 30 years, has sought to answer the question: What does it take to make an enduring Great company? His big conclusion is “that greatness is not primarily a matter of circumstance, but largely a matter of conscious choice and discipline”.
Collins's research methodology involves "matched pairs" – comparing companies in the same industry and of similar size, at the same time, that faced the same conditions, where one outperformed and the other underperformed. This method sought to uncover the underlying principles that correlate highly with high performance and whose absence correlates with poor performance.
The program distils the "What" into six key chapters
These elements are deeply embedded within the enterprise and must be clearly articulated, not merely marketing slogans or fleeting management jargon. We structure each item as interconnected, iterative, and form a strategy cascade.
Workshop host Ian Neal is a highly sought-after Business Coach. He leverages his 18 years as Chairman for The Executive Connection, where he coached over 150 CEOs to become better leaders.
People
Focuses on having the "Right People". This starts with Level 5 leadership at the top, characterised by indomitable will combined with personal humility and incredible ambition for the cause. It emphasises getting the right people in the right seats on the bus, being rigorous rather than ruthless. Collins's research indicates that companies with Level 5 leaders at the helm achieved superior value and outperformance.
Facts
Addresses "What are the facts?". This involves understanding what is working and not working, what keeps leaders awake at night, and ensuring that the truth is told to power. It encourages open, constructive conflict and active contribution from team members, contrasting with environments dominated by strong individuals who resist challenge.
Visions
Core Values and Beliefs Guiding, changeless principles, an inviolate philosophy of business and life, often an extension of the founders' values. Purpose The fundamental reason for the organisation's existence, growing out of core values, serves as a guiding star that is worked towards but never fully attained. Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) A bold, compelling, and audacious goal with a clear finish line and specific timeframe (10-20 years).
Strategy
"Strategy in 5 Questions" based on Lafley and Martin's Playing to Win: What is our Aspiration? Where will we play? Geographies, customer segments, channels, products, and stages of production. How will we win? Competitive activities are done better than anyone else, creating customer value and a flywheel effect. What capabilities must we have? What the organisation needs to be exceptionally good at to win. What management systems do we need? Building, supporting, and measuring capabilities through scoreboards and meeting rhythms.
Goals
Creating clear, shorter-term goals, 5-year, 3-year and 1-year, which serve as markers on the way to achieving the BHAG.
Execution
Emphasises "Excellence in Execution". This involves a structured meeting cadence and agendas, including quarterly, weekly tactical team meetings and strategic meetings. Scoreboards and graphs are used to review status, identify off-track items for discussion, and track agreed actions for the following period.
The "How" Framework: Cultivating a Deep Performance Culture
The "How" aspect of the program is harder for most CEOs than the “What” and it focuses on creating a Deep Performance culture within the enterprise, which requires leadership to behave in ways contrary to conventional wisdom. This demands courage, self-worth, highly capable and deeply confident, grounded leaders. Key elements of "How we do it" include:
The "How" part of the program is heavily influenced by the works of Patrick Lencioni, Stephen Covey, David Marquet, Daniel Coyle, and Amy Edmondson.
Team Dynamics: Fostering a high-performing team where the intelligence and effort of many people combine for exceptional long-term results.
Safety, Trust, and Belonging: Leadership must foster these elements among team members. People need to feel safe enough to express their true beliefs, and leadership must have the inner strength to encourage conflict and genuine contributions at all levels.
Leading with Openness: Leaders need to be brave enough to be open with their people.
Clear Purpose & Team Ownership: Creating a clear purpose and space for team members to perform, leading to team ownership of the mission.
Accountability: Holding each other accountable for performance.
The "Empowering Excellence" program asserts that the combination of "What we do" and "How we do it" is the key to maximising the value of any enterprise. While each aspect is useful individually, together they multiply value.
Unlock Your Organisation's Full Potential
This program provides a useful guide for building an excellent enterprise. By conscientiously applying the framework of ideas uncovered through this work, almost any organisation can substantially improve, potentially even becoming great.
Learn more about how "Empowering Excellence" can transform your organisation!
Anchor Excellence acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the lands on which we live, work and serve. We celebrate the oldest living culture and its unbroken history of storytelling and communication. We pay respect to Elders - past, present and future.
