Chapter 12

The Execution System

The 12 Week Year is an execution system that helps you operate at your best each day by creating clarity and focus on what matters most and a sense of urgency to do it now. As a result, more of the important stuff gets done day in and day out. A few days or weeks of that is no big deal, but when you put together day after day after day—week after week after week—the result is like compound interest, and in just 12 weeks you can be in a very different position, both personally and professionally.

You may have noticed as you read through the first section of this book that, in addition to restructuring your year into 12 weeks, there are a number of fundamental elements that we discussed as well. In fact, there are eight elements that we believe are fundamental to high performance in any endeavor. Those eight elements are:

  • Vision
  • Planning
  • Process Control
  • Measurement
  • Time Use
  • Accountability
  • Commitment
  • Greatness in the Moment

In this section, we’ve organized these elements into a set of three principles and five disciplines. We have found that organizing them in this way will help you better understand how they operate as a holistic system, making it easier for you to apply them consistently.

One of the challenges with these disciplines and principles is that most people know what they are—but knowing and doing are two very different things. As you learn to leverage these more effectively in your business and personal life, you will be amazed at what ...

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