I've said it before and I'll say it again: the key to successfulexecution in any organization is basic blockingand tackling. Why do so many business professionals strugglewith this? Arguably, this is a question pondered by millions inevery industry across the globe.

Saying and doing are two very different things, however. Pickingup a playbook and learning to run a 3-2 dive is much easier saidthan effectively executed; and that is a basic play. As complexityincreases, so too does the chance for error. Getting it right atthe most basic level gives one a head start in doing it right atall levels.

A few years back, there was a group of fifth graders who playedPop Warner football. They were a unique group of kids whoweren't big and certainly weren't fast. No one suspected thatthey'd be a champion team. It wasn't because this group of kids wasnot intelligent enough. In fact, many of them were recognized byPop Warner as national scholar athletes who have now gone on tobecome members of the National Honor Society (NHS).

The team played an incredibly tough schedule, and by mostaccounts should have lost at least a few games. However, theydidn't. Rather, they went undefeated allowing just one team toscore on them the entire year. How is it that a team of fifthgraders could overcome such adversity, yet many insurers struggleto achieve even the most basic customer service, quality, andaccuracy metrics?

The answer is simple: basic blocking and tackling. The team recognized that they hadto overcome adversity to succeed, and the only way to do it was tooutsmart the bigger and faster competition.

Perhaps this can be best summed up in a quote from the movieFacing the Giants when Chris Willis, who portrays J.T.Hawkins, Jr., says, “It don't have to look pretty, it don't have tolook smooth. It can look like a dying duck as long as it goesthrough the goal.”

How we achieve success isn't always pretty. If in doubt, catchthe next Denver Broncos game where the words of J.T. Willis haveseemingly become a reality for Tim Tebow's division leading team.

Attention to detail and a dedication to succeed at any cost arethe reasons why the Pop Warner football team of fifth graders beatthe odds. For them it wasn't about winning or losing, but ratherdoing it right. After all, when things are done right, the winningcomes naturally.

Two steps meant two steps; moving on two meantnot flinching on one; wrapping your arms around the opponent meantjust that. Any breakdown at even the most basic level could havebeen disastrous. The same holds true for claimsorganizations.

It's a well-known fact that gaining control of a claim comesfrom building a rapport with a customer early in the process. Itdoesn't happen by leaving messages and sending emails, but ratherby being persistent. This same concept holds true during the entireclaims process where it is incumbent upon the carrier toproactively educate the customer about the process. While suchbasic blocking and tackling sounds simple, execution consistentlyproves otherwise.

Setting expectations early is no different than making astatement on the first drive of the football game. Setting thetempo provides a level of control that needs to be maintainedthrough the life of the claim. From investigation and negotiationto settlement and recovery, there is no room for error.

Despite this, many seem to struggle with the basics. In fact, 15percent of all claims are closed with a missed subrogation opportunity at an annual cost of $15 billion! Thisis money that could be used to hire staff, improve processes, andadvance technology, which would in turn increase customersatisfaction, lower premiums, and increase market share, providingan instant competitive edge in the marketplace.

Of course it is easier said than done. If it were easy, wouldn'teveryone be doing it? The key to success comes down to hiring andtraining the right people, utilizing the right processes, and being innovative. Failure on any of these three counts willimpede the ability to effectively execute.

A great example is the domestic airline industry where manycompete, however, only one is consistently profitable thanks to theinnovation of Herb Kelleher. He broke the mold when he createdSouthwest whose people, processes, and innovative thinking haveturned the remainder of the industry upside down.

Such a dynamic parting of traditional workflows can work inclaims organizations as well. It takes leaders thinking outsidethe box in a never ending search for perfection. Of course,perfection isn't attainable, but as Vince Lombardi once said “if we chase perfection we catchexcellence.”