Book review - the 4 disciplines of execution

Having just finished listening to this book I would now regard it as essential reading/listening. If you run a team, or aspire to run a team at any point, or even just wish to make improvements to how you run your life, then this book could really help.

Background
The 3 authors of this book run a consultancy business providing training for other business leaders in how to lead their teams and enable their company to be productive. From the outside it sounds very cheesy but I had been recommended this book by multiple people and I am so glad I took their advice.

The 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX)
Discipline 1 - Focus
Extraordinary results can only be achieved when you are clear about what matters most. In 4DX this means setting one or two wildly important goals (WIGs). Outside of the whirlwind that consumes most of your time running the day to day business you then work hard on these goals.

Discipline 2 - Leverage
Careful thought needs to go into working out what you and your team can do to achieve your goals. Lead measures should be tracked and worked on.

Discipline 3 - Engagement
Good ideas come and go regularly but unless you can engage your team in caring about them you will see the results from those ideas. 4DX goes into great detail about how to make the WIGs matter to your team.

Discipline 4 - Accountability
How to make the change in behaviour stick. Getting members of your team to work out the one or two most important things they can do this week to improve the lead measure and therefore work towards the WIG. Then next week every member of the team must report as a group on whether they fulfilled their promises and what they will do next week.

I do not currently manage a team but one day I probably will and I will definitely be implementing the 4DX principles when that day comes. For now I plan to use parts of it to help my current situation. My 2 WIGs for this year are to increase my private revenue and to improve my career prospects. I will be working on lead measures such as taking high detail photos to increase my case acceptance and setting myself weekly goals relating to improving my CV and enrolling on courses etc. I would strongly recommend you check this book out.