Execute or Die
Goals never fail. Only implementation does!
A flawed premise of success is that the goal is the most important ingredient in the stew of
success, and that you win or lose based on the merits or worthiness of the goal. How wrong and
casualty-creating that premise is as the best goal or most honorable intention cannot survive
poor execution.
Goals never fail. Only implementation does!
Unless you execute properly and remain focused until completion, the goal—and that means
ANY goal—is irrelevant. My observation over time is that success is 10 percent vision, or what
some might call “goal clarity,” and 90 percent execution.
In this post, I wanted to offer some thoughts on why execution is the key to greatness, define
what good execution is, and describe how you can execute well and get good at it.
The difference between those who have goals and plans but don’t succeed and those that do
succeed is simple. Those that succeed are able to execute well and follow through until
completion.
What is good execution?
Good execution is all about making good decisions and making things happen. It’s about
reacting well to unpleasant and unexpected events.
Execute until the goal is achieved.

It’s about building capabilities into your life and business—the capability to be efficient and
effective in respect to those factors that are critical to your success. It’s about FedEx making
sure that the package really does arrive the next day.
How does one execute well and get good at it? You must focus time and resources on the “core
activities” necessary for achievement. There are always more tasks to do than there are time
and resources available to do them, therefore go for the “high-impact” activities.
You must hold yourself accountable for deadlines and adjust tasks accordingly. Slipping
deadlines are a symptom of poor execution and a lack of discipline. Set realistic deadlines,
monitor your progress, and make timely decisions to meet your deadlines. You must execute or
die!
The success you enjoy depends upon many things, but mostly it depends on you and your ability
to execute until the goal is achieved.