406. Great Leaders Execute
Successful execution involves aligning resources, people, and processes to ensure everyone is working towards the same goal.
The success of any business depends on its ability to execute.
However, just because leadership sets a strategic direction, doesn’t mean the rest of the organization will immediately follow.
It is one thing for leadership to understand the new direction, but if that doesn’t translate to all the teams that make countless decisions every day, execution will suffer.
Poor execution can lead to missed deadlines, cost overruns, and other negative consequences derailing a strategy. Additionally, it can erode confidence and trust in leadership, which may be difficult to regain.
Your role as a leader is to make sure the plans get translated into action. This means driving change through any communication gaps, processes, or reorganization that may be required with your team.
When done correctly, effective execution can drive momentum and adaption to changing circumstances. It can also build confidence and trust in leadership, creating a cycle of success.
Without execution, even the best strategy will fail.
Supporting Insights
“If you don't know how to execute, every strategy will fail, even the most promising ones. As one of my former bosses observed: No strategy is better than its execution.” ― Frank Slootman
“Ideas are a dime a dozen. People who execute them are worth their weight in gold.” – Mary Kay Ash
“The best leaders are masters of execution.” – Robin Sharma
“I’ve done consulting where a major strategic thrust has been developed, and a month or two later I go down four or five levels and ask people how they’re doing. They haven’t even heard of the program” - Lawrence G. Hrebiniak
Keep Learning:
How to Develop Strategy for Execution
“In many cases, however, strategic priorities fail to align activity throughout the organization. Too often the objectives are rendered toothless by vague or generic terms (such as being “best in the industry”) or they are riddled with buzzwords (such as “cloud-based” or “crowd-sourced”).”
The Secrets to Successful Strategy Execution
“A brilliant strategy, blockbuster product, or breakthrough technology can put you on the competitive map, but only solid execution can keep you there. You have to be able to deliver on your intent. Unfortunately, the majority of companies aren’t very good at it, by their own admission.”