I love a good strategy. All the bright, shiny hope and expectations of it all.

Then we get to work and forget about it all.

The daily grind takes over. Business as usual carries on, oblivious of our lofty ambitions.

Why is there a massive gap between strategy and execution?

There are some technical things that get in our way:

Lack of useful measures
Measures that track activity rather than impact
Strategy was developed independently of team members’ expertise (no buy-in)
No clear operational plan with clear project management and delegations
Overly ambitious
Did not take into account the trends and vectors at play in the broader environment.

Here are some of the People Stuff things that get in our way:

Motivation
Between a plan and an outcome are people. And we are messy creatures. As leaders, we need to know what motivates our people (external markers like praise, recognition, achieving something) and what inspires them (internal gauges like purposeful work, mastery of a skill, making an impact).

If motivations are not clearly aligned to the strategy, there is less enthusiasm and energy for the task, especially if it is something new.

Tip: Get to know what motivates and inspires your team members and help them explore how these map to the strategy.

Maturity
Like our team members, we are all at different stages in our careers, and see the world with different lenses.

Newer team members may be grappling with how to execute their role, let alone implement a larger project or deliver on a sparkly new vision. More experienced team members may be considering how the strategy delivers on the greater good and find it wanting. Lack of action may be a silent vote of non-confidence.

Tip: Discuss the strategy with each team member and assess their view in relation to its impact and greater purpose.

Capability
Leaders often groan about the lack of bigger picture thinking from their senior leadership team. Silos and turf wars overshadow whole-of-organisation considerations.

It is surprising how few leaders and teams learn how to do strategic thinking, or even take time out to rise above the fray and consider the whole organisation.

Tip: Develop the strategic capability of your team members. This can be as simple as getting them to share what their chief concerns are at a team meeting. By listening to one another, they will get a better sense of the work pressures for each person.

Want to go deeper on this topic?

Join us for a complimentary webinar May 4th, or in person in Canberra May 5th

About Zoë Routh

Zoë Routh is a leadership futurist, podcaster, and multiple award-winning author. She works with leaders and teams to navigate future horizons.

She has worked with individuals and teams internationally and in Australia since 1987. From wild Canadian rivers to the Australian Outback, and the Boardroom jungles, Zoë is an adventurist! She facilitates strategy and culture sessions with audacious teams.

Zoë's fourth leadership book, People Stuff - Beyond Personality Problems: An advanced handbook for leadership, won the Book of the Year at the Australian Business Book Awards in 2020. Her fifth book is a near future science fiction dystopian novel, The Olympus Project.

Zoë is the producer of the Zoë Routh Leadership Podcast, dedicated to asking “What if…?” and sharing Big Ideas on the Future of Leadership.

Zoë is an outdoor adventurist and enjoys telemark skiing, has run six marathons, is a one-time belly-dancer, has survived cancer, and loves hiking in the high country. She is married to a gorgeous Aussie and is a self-confessed dark chocolate addict.
www.zoerouth.com