4DX Model

The whirlwind of everyday tasks plays such a significant factor in limiting the strategy of execution because of the limitation of time. From a teacher’s point of view, there are so many things to keep up with daily. It’s an obstacle course that we must play every day and most of the time we don’t get a bonus round. Don’t get me wrong. It’s an obstacle course that is rewarding and manageable but sometimes those extras of doing something more get filed away. That’s why I’m excited about the 4 Disciplines of Execution model (4DX) because it helps narrow one's focus to a few important goals. The influencer model and the 4DX model go hand in hand. The influencer model influences mindset change and the 4DX model lays the ground work to do it.

Where does one start? Start with determining what are your Wild Important Goals? To successfully execute your goals, one must focus on no more than three goals. Having more than three goals is harder to achieve because of the whirlwind of everyday life. Once you have determined your WIG then you must decide what are your measures? Measures are methods that support your WIG and help execute it. How are you going to determine your achievements? You can determine your achievements through two measure lead and lag. Lead measures and predicts something that leads to the goal. It’s also something that can be an influence. Lag measures are easy to measure but difficult to influence. We often pay more attention the to lag because it’s easy to measure. If you forget the lead, then there is no leverage to obtain your WIG. Having that influence plays an important part to help to obtain the WIG.

So how do we keep track and accountability? It’s with a scoreboard. When it becomes a game then accountability and emotionally engagement happen. There are four steps to take when setting up a scoreboard for your WIG. First, determine a theme that tracks instant results and measures. Personalizing the scoreboard also creates ownership and personal pride because it’s made by the team. Second, design the scoreboard. Design the scoreboard with these questions in mind. Can you determine who is winning? Are the lag and lead measures included? Third, build the scoreboard. Involve the team in building the scoreboard. Building the scoreboard instills ownership because they are building it themselves. Last, keep the scoreboard updated. You should determine who will update the information and it should be an easy task to do. How often it’s updated should be determined as well. The graphic above is an example of what a 4DX model can look like but it's up to a collaborate team to create it.