New Book Released:

SALT LAKE CITY, May 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- It is one thing to establish goals, but quite another thing to execute them. MBA programs focus heavily on strategy, but offer virtually no training in execution -- and it's execution that keeps leaders awake at night.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120503/NY00768 )

Coauthors Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, Jim Huling, and the Franklin Covey Company (NYSE: FC)  have spent more than a decade studying why execution so often fails, what can be done to fix it, and what it takes to achieve Wildly Important Goals (WIGs). They have worked with more than 13,000 teams and 200,000 people in hundreds of organizations in every kind of industry, as well as in schools and in government agencies worldwide.

The result of their findings is an essential new book, THE 4 DISCIPLINES OF EXECUTION: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals, by Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling (Free Press/April 24, 2012/$28.00 hardcover / www.4dxbook.com).  The book provides a simple, repeatable, proven formula for achieving the goals you simply must reach. The 4 Disciplines of Execution (4DX) allow leaders to effectively deal with the most difficult aspect of creating breakthrough results: executing a strategy that requires a change in behavior.

Underlying the 4 Disciplines is the concept of the Whirlwind -- the massive amount of energy necessary just to keep an operation going on a day-to-day basis. The Whirlwind is the real enemy of strategic execution. While a new strategy is important, the Whirlwind is urgent, and urgency wins out every time. THE 4 DISCIPLINES OF EXECUTION shows how to separate Wildly Important Goals (WIGs) from the Whirlwind so that breakthrough results can be achieved, while still sustaining the urgent work necessary to keep the organization running.

Clayton Christensen, Professor, Harvard Business School and author of The Innovator's Dilemma, who wrote the forward for the book said, "The 4 Disciplines of Execution offers more than theories for making strategic organizational change. The authors explain not only the 'what' but also 'how' effective execution is achieved. They share numerous examples of companies that have done just that, not once, but over and over again. This is a book that every leader should read."

J. W. Marriott, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Marriott International, Inc., said, "Many of the foundational values of Marriott are embodied within The 4 Disciplines of Execution. By utilizing this process inside our organization, our leaders and teams have been able to set and achieve extraordinary goals, which have had a significant impact on making 'Our Guests' Experience' truly remarkable.  Any organization can create these same kinds of breakthrough results if they apply the principles and processes taught in this book."

The 4 Disciplines of Execution are sequential and interdependent -- they must be done in order and done well to achieve breakthrough results. They are:

1. Focus on the Wildly Important. Give your best effort to those few goals that really matter instead of giving mediocre effort to dozens of goals.
2. Act on the Lead Measures. Carefully track the lead measures and let the lag measures take care of themselves.
3. Keep a Compelling Scoreboard. Make sure everybody knows the score at all times so they can tell if they are winning or not.
4. Create a Cadence of Accountability. Hold frequent, regular accountability sessions whose only purpose is to advance the Wildly Important Goals. These disciplines are deceptively simple to state, but they are not simplistic. They will profoundly change the way you approach your goals, and represent a major breakthrough in how to move teams and organizations forward. When done correctly, the 4 Disciplines of Execution lead to superb results every time.

For more information on The 4 Disciplines of Execution, visit www.4dxbook.com.

About The Authors

Chris McChesney is the Global Practice Leader of Execution for Franklin Covey Co. and one of the primary developers of The 4 Disciplines of Execution. For more than a decade, he has led Franklin Covey's ongoing design and development of these principles, as well as the consulting organization that has achieved extraordinary growth in many countries around the globe and impacted hundreds of organizations.

Sean Covey is Executive Vice President of Global Solutions and Partnerships for Franklin Covey Co. and oversees Franklin Covey's international operations in 141 countries around the globe. As the Chief Product Architect for Franklin Covey, Sean organized and directed the original teams that conceived and created The 4 Disciplines of Execution and has been an avid practitioner and promoter of the methodology ever since.

Jim Huling is the Managing Consultant for Franklin Covey's The 4 Disciplines of Execution. Jim's career spans more than three decades of corporate leadership, from Fortune 500 organizations to privately held companies, including serving as CEO of a company recognized as one of the "25 Best Companies to Work for in America." Prior to joining Franklin Covey, Jim was one of the first leaders to adopt The 4 Disciplines of Execution.

About The Franklin Covey Execution Practice
Franklin Covey Execution Practice provides practical processes to organizations and teams so they know what the wildly important goals of the organization are and how to achieve them, how to track success, and how to be accountable for creating extraordinary results.

About Franklin Covey Company
Franklin Covey Co. (NYSE: FC) is the global consulting and training leader in the areas of strategy execution, leadership, productivity, trust, customer loyalty, sales performance, education and individual effectiveness. Franklin Covey clients have included 90 percent of the Fortune 100, more than 75 percent of the Fortune 500, thousands of small- and mid-sized businesses, as well as numerous government entities and educational institutions. Franklin Covey has more than 40 direct and licensee offices providing professional services in over 140 countries. For more information, visit www.franklincovey.com.

Contact: Debra Lund, 801-244-4474

SOURCE Franklin Covey