The EASIEST Mistake to Make in BusinessChanging Tactics vs Execution Ep 210

Abstract
Summary Notes

Abstract

In the Gym Secrets podcast, the host emphasizes the critical distinction between tactics and execution in entrepreneurship. They argue that while most tactics are sound, the frequent failure to achieve desired outcomes is due to poor execution, not flawed strategy. The discussion highlights the importance of consistent training, communication, and quality assurance in ensuring that teams execute tactics as intended. The host stresses that the key to scaling a business lies in the ability to replicate success through others, and that before changing strategies, entrepreneurs should verify that existing processes are being followed correctly. The episode concludes with a call for attention to the often overlooked, yet essential, operational aspects of business growth.

Summary Notes

Importance of Execution Over Tactics

  • Tactics are the planned actions to achieve a goal, while execution is the actual implementation of these tactics.
  • Execution is often where the failure occurs, not the tactics themselves.
  • Entrepreneurs may frequently change tactics, thinking the strategy is flawed, when the real issue is poor execution.
  • The challenge is recognizing that the idea or tactic is sound, but the implementation is lacking.

"99% of the time, most tactics work. It's just that the execution is where it gets lost."

This quote emphasizes that the majority of tactics are effective in theory, but the breakdown occurs during the execution phase. The importance of this idea is in understanding that changing tactics may not be necessary; instead, focusing on better execution could be the solution.

Strategy vs. Tactics in Entrepreneurship

  • Strategy refers to the overarching plan, while tactics are the specific actions taken to achieve strategic goals.
  • Entrepreneurs often struggle with distinguishing between ineffective tactics and poor execution.
  • The tendency to switch tactics when results are not immediately seen can be a mistake.
  • It is crucial to evaluate whether the execution is true to the intended tactic before making changes.

"The reason that you're not getting the outcome from the tactics that you employed for whatever the goal was... the strategy is usually not wrong... What you're going about, your idea most of the time is pretty sound."

This quote suggests that when the desired outcome is not achieved, the initial reaction might be to question the strategy or tactic. However, the speaker argues that often, the fundamental idea or strategy is not at fault but rather the way it's being executed.

Common Entrepreneurial Mistakes

  • Entrepreneurs may incorrectly attribute lack of success to the wrong tactics.
  • Changing tactics too quickly can be a mistake; it's essential to first assess the execution.
  • The hardest part of entrepreneurship is often sticking with a tactic long enough to execute it properly.
  • Entrepreneurs should be wary of changing strategies without first ensuring that the issue isn't with execution.

"And so then what do you do? You change it, right? And the thing is, and this is the hardest part. Like, this is so hard. I struggle with this all the time."

In this quote, the speaker is reflecting on the common entrepreneurial response to a lack of immediate success, which is to change tactics. The speaker admits to struggling with this issue, highlighting the difficulty entrepreneurs face in resisting the urge to switch tactics instead of focusing on improving execution.

Ensuring Effective Execution

  • Before altering tactics, entrepreneurs should confirm that the existing tactics are being executed as intended.
  • Training, communication, and management may need to be improved to ensure proper execution.
  • Consistency and patience are key to seeing the results of a tactic.
  • Entrepreneurs need to understand that execution can be more challenging than devising tactics.

"That's why I wanted to make this video. I was really pumped about it."

The enthusiasm in creating the video stems from the speaker's realization of the importance of execution over tactics. This quote indicates the speaker's desire to share this critical insight with other entrepreneurs, emphasizing the value of focusing on execution.

Execution Errors in Business

  • The majority of errors in business are due to improper execution.
  • Issues such as not following a sales script, incorrect tonality, and untimely execution lead to errors.
  • Asking the right questions consistently is crucial for customer retention.
  • Coaches need to reach out with regular cadence and proper tonality and intention.

"Here 90%, 95%, 99% of the errors that happen in my business are things that are not executed properly."

This quote emphasizes the high percentage of business errors that stem from execution issues rather than strategy or planning problems.

"A sales script that's not done. It's not done with the correct tonality, it's not executed in a timely manner."

The quote highlights specific examples of execution errors, such as failing to use a sales script properly, not using the correct tone, and not being timely.

"The right questions are not being asked to the same degree."

This quote points out the importance of consistency in asking the right questions to maintain customer engagement and retention.

Importance of Operations and People in Scaling a Business

  • Operations and managing people become the hardest parts of business when scaling.
  • Entrepreneurs must acquire skills to teach others and ensure proper execution.
  • It's crucial to verify that employees are performing tasks correctly.
  • Entrepreneurs need to understand operations to spot when something is done incorrectly.

"The hardest part of business stuff, especially as you scale, is people, right. It's operations."

This quote identifies people and operations as the most challenging aspects of scaling a business.

"Being able to scale the business comes down to your ability to repeat that result in other people."

The quote stresses the importance of replicating an entrepreneur's success in their team members to scale the business effectively.

"Which is why it's so essential for most entrepreneurs to acquire so many skills so that we know how to operate it correctly."

This quote underscores the need for entrepreneurs to be skilled in various areas to ensure they can operate their business effectively and teach others.

Quality Assurance and Team Training

  • Quality assurance (QA) is time-consuming but necessary to check proper execution.
  • Regular communication with direct reports is essential.
  • Teams need to be drilled on essential tasks to maintain focus and priority.
  • Repetition can be tedious for entrepreneurs who prefer innovation over routine.

"How do I QA, right. How do I quality assurance, how do I double check that each of these aspects of my business are being executed properly, right?"

This quote questions the methods for ensuring that all aspects of a business are being executed correctly.

"If you're not drilling your team on the things that they need to be learning and repeating on a consistent basis, they will forget, they will stop thinking about it."

The quote discusses the importance of continuous training and repetition to keep the team's skills sharp and focused.

Entrepreneurial Challenges with Repetition and Consistency

  • Entrepreneurs naturally prefer new challenges over repetitive tasks.
  • The skills that help start a business are different from those needed to scale it.
  • Scaling involves getting multiple people to execute consistently and repeatedly.

"When you are just assuming it's being done, right. And they're assuming it's no longer important, which is why you're not talking about it."

This quote reflects the disconnect that can occur when there is an assumption of completion without communication, leading to a de-prioritization of tasks.

"But the thing that gets you from zero to one is not the thing that gets you from one to ten, right?"

The quote differentiates the skills and actions needed to start a business versus those required to scale it successfully.

"And getting from one to ten is getting ten people to do the same thing consistently over and over again. And that is hard."

This quote emphasizes the difficulty in scaling a business, which involves ensuring consistent execution by the team.

Importance of Consistency in Business Processes

  • Hiring a few employees can initially seem successful, leading to the belief that the business "cracked the code."
  • However, with the addition of more employees, businesses may encounter issues and assume market changes require strategy alterations.
  • The real solution often lies in reinforcing existing processes, ensuring adherence, and providing consistent training.
  • Establishing a regular check-in system encourages employees to maintain a consistent work cadence and know they are accountable.
  • Frequent changes and assumptions of perfect execution can cause mental strain for both management and staff.
  • Often, the issue is not the strategy but the execution; attention to process adherence, retraining, and motivation can yield the desired outcomes.
  • Sales improvements can occur without changes to the script but through ensuring the process is followed and reinvigorating team commitment.

And so then you assume that you have to change your strategy. You have to change how you're doing things, right. When in fact, you just have to get back in, roll up your sleeves, do the boring work, repeat yourself again, make sure that the process is being followed as intended as you wanted it to be done.

This quote emphasizes that instead of changing strategies, businesses should focus on the diligent execution of existing processes and ensure that employees are following them as intended.

And what happens is then they create this consistent cadence, and they know that you're paying attention.

The speaker suggests that creating a consistent work rhythm and monitoring by management leads to employees understanding their accountability and maintaining process standards.

And these are the little systems that have to happen in order to maintain excellence on a consistent basis.

The quote highlights the importance of small, systematic actions in achieving and sustaining high performance within a business.

And most times, you don't need to change anything at all. You just need to go in and put attention on the process, make sure it's being adhered to.

Here, the speaker points out that often no changes are needed to the business strategy, but rather a focused effort on ensuring that the existing processes are being correctly executed.

Like, I can't tell you the amount of times we've made no changes to sales scripts. And then we just make sure it's being followed or really just read through testimonials again, reconvict the team, and then sales picks up overnight.

This quote provides a specific example of how reinforcing adherence to existing sales scripts and re-motivating the team can lead to immediate improvements in sales performance, illustrating the power of execution over changing strategies.

Role of a Boss

  • The job of a boss is primarily about motivation and training according to Andy Grover.
  • Communication is an essential addition because it ensures employees understand their tasks.
  • Understanding and execution of tasks are the core issues bosses must address.
  • The process involves tedious tasks such as reviewing call recordings and observing employee performance.

"And so Andy Grover, I don't have his book around me, but high output management. He says the job of the boss is motivation and training. That's it. That's how he defined it. The only thing I added was communication, because they need to know what you want them to do."

This quote summarizes Andy Grover's perspective on the role of a boss, highlighting motivation and training as key responsibilities, with the speaker adding communication as a critical element.

Importance of Execution in Business

  • Execution and operations are fundamental for scaling a company.
  • Before making changes, it is advised to ensure that current processes are executed correctly.
  • The speaker suggests that proper execution can save time and improve team effectiveness.
  • The focus on execution may not be exciting but is crucial for business success.

"And typically, you don't need to change anything. You just need to make sure that they're doing what they're supposed to be doing. And that just takes the boring work of looking and examining and listening to call recordings and listening to onboardings and watching the footage that you have from your cameras for the workouts inside of your facility to see if the energy of the workouts is there, to see if they're making sure they're doing the announcements every day, to make sure they're doing all the stuff you need them to do, following the checklist."

This quote emphasizes the importance of ensuring that employees are performing their tasks as expected, which involves monitoring and reviewing their work.

The Pitfalls of Frequent Changes

  • Constant changes can cause confusion and inefficiency within a team.
  • The speaker encourages taking a moment to assess whether issues arise from poor execution rather than the plan itself.
  • A thoughtful approach to problem-solving can lead to better results and prevent unnecessary alterations.

"And I want to save you so much pain and suffering for you and for your team from you having the whiplash or them having whiplash from you constantly changing because you're like, man, he's always trying to change stuff and it's usually just because it's not being executed right."

This quote advises against making frequent changes and suggests that many issues may stem from improper execution rather than flawed strategies or plans.

Encouragement and Farewell

  • The speaker hopes the audience finds value in the discussion about execution and operations.
  • There is an invitation for feedback through likes or comments.
  • The speaker closes with wishes for a great Thursday and a reminder to keep executing.

"So anyways, I know that's not the sexy stuff, but that's the real stuff of how businesses scale and I hope you found value in that. And if you did, drop a like or a comment, and if you did not, then sorry, but otherwise have an amazing Thursday and I'll catch you guys on the flip side. Keep executing and I'll catch you guys soon. Bye."

This quote concludes the discussion, highlighting the importance of execution in business scaling and encouraging the audience to engage with the content.

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