How to Turn Strategy Into Consistent Execution

Research & Sources / Leadership & Decision-Making

A recipe can be perfect. The right ingredients, the right amounts, beautiful photos. But nobody has ever eaten a recipe. Someone has to go to the market, chop, stir, taste and do it again tomorrow. Strategy is the recipe. Execution is the cooking. Most companies have more recipes than meals.

The gap between plan and result

Many leadership teams spend weeks on strategy. Workshops, slides, a retreat, a document with a nice cover. Then everyone goes back to their desk, the daily rush takes over, and three months later the strategy is a file nobody opens.

This is not a sign of bad people. It is the most common pattern in business. Writing a plan feels like progress. The hard part is the daily, unexciting work of turning it into action.

What a big study found

Donald Sull, Rebecca Homkes and Charles Sull surveyed nearly 8,000 managers in more than 250 companies about why strategy execution fails. Their findings surprised many leaders.¹

First, the problem was usually not that people disagreed with the strategy. It was coordination: departments did not support each other well enough when it mattered. Second, leaders often assumed that because they had communicated the strategy, people understood it. In reality, many managers could not name the top priorities. Third, companies stuck too long to old plans instead of adapting as things changed.

In short: the recipe was fine. The kitchen was badly organised.

Five habits that make execution consistent

1. Fewer priorities. A kitchen that tries to cook twenty dishes at once burns most of them. Choose three priorities at most, and make it clear which one comes first.

2. Translate into weekly actions. A strategy like “become the leading provider in our region” needs to turn into something someone can do on Tuesday. What will each team do differently this week because of it?

3. One owner per priority. Every priority needs a name, not a department. That person keeps it alive when everyone is busy.

4. A short, regular rhythm. A weekly or fortnightly check of 30 minutes: what moved, what is stuck, what do we need from each other? This is where coordination happens.

5. Adjust on purpose. When the world changes, change the plan openly. A strategy that never changes is usually a strategy nobody is looking at.

Why rhythm matters more than inspiration

Many leaders try to create execution with energy: a big kick-off, a motivating speech. Energy fades in weeks. Rhythm lasts.

Think of a restaurant kitchen. The best ones are not run on inspiration. They run on routines: preparation lists, fixed times, a short meeting before service, a quick review after. The creativity is in the menu. The reliability is in the routine.

Research on progress supports this. Teresa Amabile found that seeing regular progress on meaningful work is the biggest daily motivator at work.² A good execution rhythm makes progress visible every week.

What this means for you this week

• Cut your priorities to three, and rank them.
• Write one concrete weekly action for each priority.
• Put a name next to each priority.
• Book a recurring 30-minute review and hold the first one this week.
• Ask two managers to name the top priorities without looking. Listen carefully.

Good recipes are worth having. But the guests are waiting for dinner.

Sources

1. Sull, D., Homkes, R. & Sull, C. (2015). Why Strategy Execution Unravels and What to Do About It. Harvard Business Review, March 2015. hbr.orgSurvey of nearly 8,000 managers in more than 250 companies: execution fails less from poor alignment than from weak coordination, and communication is not the same as understanding.
2. Amabile, T. M. & Kramer, S. J. (2011). The Power of Small Wins. Harvard Business Review. hbr.orgOf everything that can boost motivation at work, the most important is making progress in meaningful work, even in small steps.