Leaders, Teams, Cats and Mice – What do they have to do with execution?

In an old and wonderful Aesop fairy tale, the only thing that stood between a house full of mice and their complete happiness was the cat. The mice got together one evening and came up with various plans to deal with the danger of the cat. They all voted on one brilliant idea; they would hang a bell around the cat’s neck. Then wherever it went, the bell would warn them of danger if it got closer. All of the mice jumped and clapped at the idea. The only problem was getting volunteers to hang the bell around the cat’s neck!

Coming up with brilliant ideas can be easy, it’s another thing to implement them. The following suggestions are simple, but in my experience as a consultant they are not used very often by leaders, hence the reason for poor execution among teams.

1.    Assign someone ownership of the task(s). Make sure someone takes ownership for hanging the bell. Otherwise it may never get hung and things may get worse.

2.    Assign due dates to each task that needs to be completed. Without a due date the task will never become a priority. And pointing fingers won’t matter because the cat will already have had her fair share of mice by then.

3.    Ensure everyone is clear on what needs to be done. Check for clarity. If the mouse assigned to hang the bell around the cat’s neck thought you said to hang it on the cat’s foot, that mouse could put him or the team in danger.

4.    Once the task has been assigned, follow up. Require a return and report on the completion of the task(s). Without a return and report you will either assume the bell got hung or not know; both can be dangerous to the other mice.

What tips do you have on ensuring the bell gets hung? Please comment.

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Mike Rogers

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Comments

[Anita]

I would add another step. Reward and recognize the individual and the team for their respective accomplishments. In the case of hanging the bell on the cat: Acknowledge the mouse that purchased or retrieved the bell and other materials needed, the mouse that figured out how to attach the bell to the cat, the mouse that hung the bell on the cat, the mice that assisted in hanging the bell and the mouse that ensured the bell would not fall off of the cat.

For when folks see that their accomplishments are recognized, they are more apt to complete tasks and to hold eachother accountable for completing their portion of the tasks.

[Mike Rogers]

Great point Anita. The mice that are rewarded and recognized will be more willing to hang the bell next time won't they.

[Felicia]

Very valid point Anita. I would also add Senior mouse buy-in. Having a great idea and a fantastic executable plan could end up risking every mouses neck if the head mouse isn't on board.