Strategies are cheap. You can find a "world-changing" business plan on a napkin in any coffee shop in Palo Alto or London. But most of those napkins end up in the trash because of one missing ingredient: Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done.
It’s been over two decades since Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan released their seminal book on the subject, and honestly, we haven’t gotten much better at it. We talk about vision. We talk about "pivoting." We rarely talk about the grueling, unsexy work of linking people, strategy, and operations. If you aren't doing that, you aren't leading; you're just dreaming.
Most managers think execution is tactical. They treat it like a to-do list for the "low-level" employees while the executives stay in the clouds. That is a massive mistake. Execution is a systematic process. It’s a discipline. It’s a culture. If the person at the top isn't deeply embedded in the "how" of the business, the "what" will never happen.
The Gap Nobody Wants to Talk About
Why do smart companies fail? It’s rarely because they lacked a good idea. Take a look at the history of Xerox PARC. They literally invented the GUI, the mouse, and laser printing. But they couldn't execute on those inventions as products. Apple did. That’s the gap.
Bossidy, who ran Honeywell at the time, argued that execution is the great unaddressed issue in the business world today. He wasn't exaggerating. You've probably seen it yourself. A meeting ends, everyone nods, and then... nothing. Three months later, the project is dead. No one is quite sure why.
The reality is that execution requires a specific set of behaviors. You have to be present. You have to be "in" the business.
The Three Core Processes
To get results, you have to master three specific areas. They aren't independent. They're like a tripod; kick one leg out, and the whole thing falls over.
The People Process: This is the most important one. If you don’t have the right people in the right jobs, your strategy is just paper. Most companies spend too much time on "human resources" and not enough time on actual people development. Are you putting your best people on your biggest opportunities, or just using them to put out fires?
The Strategy Process: A strategy shouldn't be a 200-page slide deck. It needs to be a living document that defines how the company will make money and sustain a competitive advantage. It has to be realistic. If your strategy doesn't account for your team's actual capabilities, it’s a fantasy.
The Operating Process: This is the bridge. It breaks the strategy down into specific goals. It sets the budget. It defines the milestones. Without a rigorous operating process, you’re just guessing.
Why "Visions" Are Often Just Hallucinations
We worship the "visionary" CEO. We love the Steve Jobs or Elon Musk types who see the future. But even Jobs was a master of the "how." He was notoriously obsessive about the details of the supply chain and the exact finish of a laptop’s casing. He understood Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done better than almost anyone, even if his public persona was all about the "Big Idea."
Strategy is often disconnected from reality because the people making the strategy aren't the ones doing the work. They don't know that the software is buggy or that the supplier in Taiwan is six months behind.
The discipline of execution means you have to close that loop. You have to ask the hard questions. "What needs to happen for this to work?" "Who is accountable?" "What are the specific milestones?" If you can't answer those, you don't have a plan. You have a wish.
The Problem with "Hands-Off" Leadership
There’s this weird trend in management where leaders want to be "high-level." They think their job is just to set the North Star and let the "experts" figure out the rest. That’s fine for a commencement speech, but it’s terrible for a business.
Real leaders are involved. They aren't micromanagers—there’s a big difference—but they are deeply informed. They know the names of the people doing the work. They understand the friction points in the workflow.
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Cultivating a Culture of Accountability
You can't just command execution. You have to build it into the DNA of the organization. This starts with how you talk.
In many companies, people are afraid to speak the truth. They see a project failing, but they don't want to be the "negative" person in the room. So they stay quiet. This is the "silent killer" of execution. To fix it, you need a culture where social operating mechanisms encourage robust dialogue.
- Be Honest: If a deadline is impossible, say it.
- Be Specific: "We need to grow" is not a goal. "We need 500 new subscribers by Q3" is.
- Follow Up: This is where most people fail. If you don't check in on the progress, you're telling your team that the goal doesn't actually matter.
Intel's former CEO Andy Grove was a master of this. He pioneered OKRs (Objectives and Key Results). It wasn't about being mean or controlling; it was about clarity. Everyone knew what they were supposed to do and how it would be measured. That is the essence of Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done.
Real-World Failure: The Motorola Iridium Story
It’s worth looking at the Iridium satellite phone project from the late 90s. On paper, it was brilliant. Global satellite coverage! No more dead zones! Motorola spent billions. They launched 66 satellites.
The problem? They executed on a strategy that was already obsolete by the time the satellites were in orbit. Cell towers had proliferated faster than they expected. The phones were the size of bricks and didn't work indoors.
The leaders were so focused on the technical execution of launching satellites that they ignored the strategic execution of the business model. They failed to link the operating process (building satellites) with the people process (understanding what customers actually wanted) and the strategy process (pricing and market fit). It’s a classic example of "doing things right" instead of "doing the right things."
How to Start Executing Today
If you feel like your team is spinning its wheels, you don't need a new slogan. You need to change your habits. Execution is a skill. You get better at it by practicing.
First, look at your calendar. How much of your time is spent on "strategy" versus "follow-through"? If you’re spending 90% of your time in meetings talking about the future and 0% checking on the projects you started last month, you have an execution problem.
Second, simplify everything. Most strategies are too complex. If your team can't explain the plan in three sentences, they won't execute it. Complexity is the enemy of action.
Third, get comfortable with conflict. Real execution requires "radical candor," a term popularized by Kim Scott (formerly of Google and Apple). You have to be able to tell someone their work isn't meeting the standard without it becoming a personal attack.
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Actionable Next Steps for Leaders
Execution isn't something you do once a year during a retreat. It’s what you do every Tuesday at 10:00 AM.
- Audit your "People Process" immediately. Identify the three most critical roles in your company. Are the people currently in those roles actually the best ones for the job, or are they just there because of seniority? If they aren't the right fit, move them. Now.
- Implement a "No-Slide" Review. Instead of sitting through 40 PowerPoint slides, have your team write a two-page memo on their progress. Read it before the meeting. Spend the meeting asking "Why?" and "How?" rather than just listening to a status report.
- Connect the Dots. Every time you set a goal, ask: "Who is responsible, what resources do they have, and when will we check in?" If you don't have an answer for all three, don't set the goal.
- Focus on the "How." Spend less time on the "What" and the "Why" for a week. Ask your team about their biggest bottlenecks. Is it software? Is it a slow approval process? Is it a lack of clear direction? Fix one bottleneck. That’s execution in its purest form.
Execution isn't about being a "boss." It’s about being a disciplined operator who understands that the only thing that matters at the end of the day is the result. Stop dreaming about the finish line and start looking at the ground in front of your feet.