Discipline delivers results

Discipline leads to success.   For organizations, this means staying focused on creating and maintaining a healthy culture, excellent customer service, the effective use of your team’s time and the consistent, rigorous progress toward your goals, regardless of the economic environment or uncontrollable events. Your organization’s success is a matter of choice, not circumstance.

Discipline and self-control will give your organization power. The Latin origin of discipline (discipulus) means instruction, knowledge and learning. The concept involves self-regulation in order to improve. Those in a disciplined organization consistently act in accordance with values, long-term goals and challenging performance standards. They have the inner will to do what it takes to create a great outcome, no matter the difficulty. The disciplined leader accepts the harsh conditions of the uncertain, ever-changing world without excuses or complaints.

Our clients see the importance of this disciplined, steady approach. For example, one of our healthcare clients who was seeking substantial improvement in patient satisfaction and outcomes set challenging multi-year goals within the context of a clear, smart plan. They made steady progress despite the fact that the economic and regulatory environment was in flux. State and federal regulations changed, especially as the Affordable Care Act was implemented. All through this difficult time, our client persevered, making steady improvement quarter after quarter. Dashboard metrics provided all levels of the team with the information they needed to advance. Discipline throughout the organization built teamwork and the management, communication and technology systems required for success. Confidence grew as the team saw consistent strides towards its goal. Yes, the environment was “harsh” with massive change buffeting the healthcare industry, but everyone’s disciplined focus brought steady progress in patient satisfaction and outcomes.

For another client, the focus was on improving the use of valuable professional time. An important aspect was to optimally and effectively conduct meetings. A recent HBR study showed that the companies that most effectively used employee time, thereby boosting productivity, had a 180% higher total shareholder return over 10 years than those that were the least effective. Often, a lack of discipline allows unnecessary meetings to occur and even proliferate. In fact, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that unnecessary meetings cost U.S. businesses approximately $37 billion each year.

We assisted our client in implementing an in-person and on-line learning program to teach the company effective meeting execution. With everyone on the same page, our client shifted its culture to a disciplined approach. Meetings only happen when required.   The norm is to consistently use well-planned agendas, limit the time allotted to a meeting, create an action- oriented plan at the end of each meeting and track follow-up execution. This discipline meant that overall professional interactions involved more strategic thinking and effective implementation of plans, not just in meetings, but also in the organization as a whole.

Effective organizations do not abandon discipline for the sake of expediency, or when market conditions change or time pressures arise. Despite shifting economic or regulatory environments or the required shortening of planning cycles to achieve strategic goals due to the complexity of change, disciplined adherence to your steady approach will serve you and your organization in the long run. As one of our team members likes to say – “steady-Eddy” – the discipline to focus each day on steady progress towards achieving your goals despite external circumstances. As in the tortoise and the hare, the steady and sure wins the race.

Stuart R. Levine

Stuart R. Levine

Founded in 1996, Stuart Levine & Associates LLC is an international strategic planning and leadership development company with focus on adding member value by strengthening corporate culture. SL&A ... Web: www.Stuartlevine.com Details