The 4DX Overview

Discipline #1: Focus on the Wildly Important Goals (WIG)

Discipline #2: Act on the Lead Measure

Discipline #3: Create a Compelling Scoreboard

Discipline #4: Create a Cadence of Accountability

The whirlwind of life is such a significant factor because everyone is caught in the storm. There is an enough time to work, breathe, eat, work out, sleep, and exist in the world. The whirlwind of life makes strategy execution complicated because there are so many factors that we just can’t account for. Chris McChesney said people are “Choked or starved by the whirlwind, the urgency of the day to day. People are not stupid, and they’re not lazy… their busy.” The whirlwind also alludes to the 4 disciplines of execution in the day-to-day operations necessary to keep the organization running. 

The Four Disciplines (4DX) tells us that we need to focus on the “Wildly Important Goals” or WIGS to keep the organization on a proper path towards success in its goals. Focusing on more than 2 WIGS at one time can prove disastrous. Using a lead measure to tell you the progression of your goals, and the lag measure to tell you if you’ve already achieved it or helpful tools in the 4DX framework model. The vital behaviors that enable the lag measure or ultimately tracked by the lead measure. 

A WIG is only as powerful as the ability to see its progression. Developing a scoreboard that is simple, visible, encompasses the lead and lag measures, and showcase the winning or losing variables that will allow your organization to make substantial progression. It enables accountability on all sides of the spectrum. People want to help, if they feel that their efforts are being considered and feel valued. 

With all this information, coming together to understand this information through weekly meetings is vital to the organization success. Holding a weekly meeting to discuss outcomes and review and update the scoreboard is another area where you are telling your organization just how vital and powerful they are to the overall success of the organization. 

Works Cited

McChesney, C., Covey, S., & Huling, J. (2012). The 4 disciplines of execution: Achieving your wildly important goals (1st ed.). Free Press.

Chris McChesney. (Nov 26, 2018). Chris McChesney at Global Leadership Summit [Video]. YouTube https://youtu.be/pw1mNSn-Hls