Ryan hit the “end” button with disgust. As the virtual meeting screen went blank, he just stared at his computer without focusing on anything.
How was he going to tell his team this new information? They had been almost begging for more resources to keep up with all of the initiatives that the company said were a “priority.” And now, it was official. No help was coming.
The phrase “do more with less” kept repeating itself over and over in his mind. Ryan let out a heavy sigh and dropped his head into his hands.
Pause.
Does Ryan’s scenario feel familiar? I am having way too many conversations with people who are in the exact same place as him. Whether they be senior executives or frontline managers, there is a crisis brewing in the business world (and beyond). All of the resulting stalled strategies are just a small indicator of this much bigger issue.
And here is what drives me absolutely crazy… it doesn’t have to be this way.
Let me explain.
The core issue that I see is that most organizations are HORRIBLE at strategic execution. They either:
- (A) rely on their innovation to produce an overabundance of cash to waste or
- (B) force people outright to do more with less.
The biggest offenders of Option A are tech and pharmaceutical companies. They literally go from feast to famine, based on how “hot” their newest tech/drug is doing. Senior leaders of Option A companies fall prey to their own results – never fully recognizing the amount of waste that their organizations generate on a daily basis. Until their competitors catch up or the economy softens. Then, Option B takes over.
Option B companies demand commitment, discipline, and ESPECIALLY sacrifice. They may try to persuade the team that “this” is in the best interests of everyone involved because times are tough – but it’s really only in the best interests of the company. And if working harder with less does not work, Option B company leaders make the “hard choice” to freeze hiring and/or lay off their employees.
It’s uncommon (at least for me) to see truly Option C companies, where execution is just as important as the strategy, and the company’s leaders work tirelessly to make sure both elements stay aligned (think of Alan Mullally and his team during Ford’s turnaround for an example of Option C leadership).
Which begs the question: Why? Why are Options A and B the most common?
I think the answer is relatively simple. Leaders waste their overabundance and/or force people to do more with less because they don’t know how to truly lead strategic execution. They were never taught. They have no framework for strategic execution beyond project management skills. Consequently, they often push themselves into burnout mode because they have to make every decision personally.
As a result, these well-intentioned leaders are left with two paths:
- Use trial and error to hopefully learn as they go (while relying on the herculean efforts of others to keep things afloat) or
- Do it wrongly and eventually leave/get forced out.
There’s a reason that the average executive vice president tenure is only 1-2 years right now.
Meanwhile, research from OC Tanner tells us that a whopping 42% of employees don’t feel cared for by their organizations. If the fence-sitters (employees who say yes, but don’t really believe it) in that data represent just an additional 20%, that’s potentially 2/3 of the entire team who don’t feel like the company truly values them.
I fully believe that there is a genuine correlation between the lack of strategic execution skills and the resulting lack of employee engagement.
With that said, and as I mentioned earlier, it doesn’t have to be this way.
In my latest podcast episode (How to NOT Execute: Season 2, episode 1), I share my core framework for how strategic execution breaks down. It’s much more detailed than I can cover in this simple blog post (hint: go check it out now), but I would like to give you one essential principle that you can use right now to diagnose and hopefully elevate your own conversations with other leaders.
Clarity without empowerment is destructive. It will destroy whatever strategy you think is being executed.
It literally does not matter how clear the strategy is. If the strategy is not being fully empowered with the right people, time, energy, and resources, it – and everything else – will completely unravel.
Because everything looks great on paper… until people get involved.
If this post resonated as something you’ve been wrestling with, especially if you are an executive leader, please reach out to me directly. We should talk.
Holomua. Onward and upward.
All the best ~ Tim
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