Organizational Change: Another Approach

When exploring the 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX) approach, I found it reassuring that the strategy actually acknowledged the “Whirlwinds”. Realistically, we all have

responsibilities to school, jobs, families, etc. and things come up throughout the day that demand actual, physical time, attention, and energy. Goals to change processes and outcomes also demand actual physical time, attention, and energy. Energy is something that you have to keep finding ways to replenish and sustain over time. What I found refreshing about 4DX is that instead of ignoring or treating “Whirlwinds” as a negative experience, they found a way to work with it and make it neutral.

By focusing on one or two Wildly Important Goals that won’t make the Whirlwinds go out of control; you can actually continue to sustain managing the existing Whirlwinds more effectively. How? Because you are controlling where the energy is going. Instead of focusing on the results that occur only at the end of the goal, you are going to focus on the small, more manageable changes and tasks at incremental steps along the way. So instead of exhausting large amounts of energy in ALL the places, you are expending smaller amounts of energy in targeted places.

By this small shift, you will be able to then keep track of actual results because you will consistently know where you are along the way in relation to the end goal. By actually knowing where you are, you aren’t over or underestimating where you are; thereby eliminating being caught off guard or unprepared when Whirlwinds pop up; instead, you are able to course correct and return right away to the path that you were on, without losing progress.

I feel as a wife and mother of 4, a district instructional coach with a 13 school caseload, grad school student really invested in learning and implementing my innovation plan; I can really wrap my head around this approach to influencing change. There is nothing that gets left aside, but one or two things that get a more intentional focus to accomplish; thus creating MORE space and energy to accomplish other items along the way.

I think this approach is easier to manage in terms of focus and sustained engagement because you are celebrating and tracking the PROCESS toward the fulfillment of the desired outcome; and not just the end result. It also allows for the demands of reality without invalidating the time and energy that ideas need to turn into new reality.

Reference

‌McChesney, C., Covey, S., & Huling, J. (2016). The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals. Free Press.