What makes an Effective Executive? 

Converting Knowledge into Action

Rule no 3 - Develop Action Plans

Napoleon allegedly said that no successful battle ever followed its plan. Yet Napoleon also planned every one of his battles, far more meticulously than any earlier general had done!

Executives are doers; they execute. Knowledge is useless to executives until it has been translated into deeds. But before springing into action, the executive needs to plan his course. He needs to think about desired results, probable restraints, future revisions, check-in points, and implications for how he’ll spend his time.

First, the executive defines desired results by asking: 

“What contributions should the enterprise expect from me over the next 18 months to two years? What results will I commit to? With what deadlines?”

Then he considers the restraints on action:

“Is this course of action ethical? Is it acceptable within the organization? Is it compatible with the mission, values, and policies of the organization?”

The action plan is a statement of intentions rather than a commitment. It should be revised often, because every success creates new opportunities. So does every failure. The same is true for changes in the business environment, in the market, and especially in people within the enterprise-all these changes demand that the plan be revised.

In addition, the action plan needs to create a system for checking the results against the expectations. Effective executives usually build two such checks into their action plans. The first check comes halfway through the plan’s time period; for example, at nine months. The second occurs at the end, before the next action plan is drawn up.

Finally, the action plan has to become the basis for the executive’s time management. Time is an executive’s scarcest resource and most precious resource. The action plan will prove useless unless it’s allowed to determine how the executive spends his or her time!

Credits: Peter F. Drucker - HBR's 10 MUST READS On Leadership