Effective Execution Is Not Success

Effective execution only tells you that you are succeeding at what you are trying to do. It does not prove that what you are trying to do is worth doing.

• Real Success is doing the right thing well.
• Effective Waste is doing the wrong thing well. This is dangerous because progress, quality, and momentum can hide the fact that the direction is wrong.
• Failed Delivery is doing the right thing poorly. The strategy may be sound, but poor execution prevents the value from materializing.
• Total Failure is doing the wrong thing poorly. Nothing is working, but the failure may be easier to recognize because both the direction and execution are broken.
• Analyze both dimensions: whether you are executing effectively and whether the thing you are executing is correct.