John M. TRANI

Chairman and CEO of The Stanley Works

Execution is 80 percent of the game. That’s not generally taught in business school, or in any school for that matter. In school, one learns that the grand strategy, the overarching insight, the study of the landscape will yield true business success. Yet, when examining those companies that win versus those that don’t, that learning rings hollow. It reminds me of the Green Bay Packers in the Vince Lombardi era. The team ran what was termed the Green Bay sweep over and over again. The opponent knew that the play was going to happen several times a game. It didn’t matter. What did matter was the execution of the play: the people doing it and the process utilized. For the same reason, business models are difficult to duplicate. That’s why those who learn the art of execution win, and those who do not fail.

Execution equals success