Behaviour
Characteristics that served you well in climbing the corporate ladder may turn into drawbacks when you become accountable for execution.
3 root causes are linked to the traits and behaviours of those who rise to leadership positions
Underestimate the gravity of challenges and threatsÂ
Are overly optimistic and ambitious
Favour fast-paced, energising sprints
Many traits are always assets, such as the ability to communicate, inspire and motivate. Others are always liabilities, like being easily bored or distracted. However, some traits are assets in day-to-day operations but become liabilities when facing challenging processes like strategy execution, like
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Impatience
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Ambition
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Thinking fast
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Ability to manage a significant workload
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Enthusiasm
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Positivism
Strategy execution requires slow thinking, patience, focus and consistent, hard work over an extended period. Above I have condensed these traits into 3 root causes of execution failure.​​​​​​​​​
Capability
Translating strategy into actions and determining how to confidently engage more widely and sooner are "black boxes" for most executives
2 root causes stem from the fact that most leaders lack certain crucial skills related to execution
Creating tasks at the objective level
Involving too few people too late in the process
​​Translating strategy into actions is difficult, and few top executives master this skill. They cascade objectives and narratives but are unable to explain how to carry out the strategy. Consequently, they end up creating tasks at the objective level.
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Top executives are often uncomfortable with broad and early involvement. Most strategies do include confidential elements. The process of developing the strategy touches on uncomfortable truths and often meanders back and forth. As a result, they end up engaging only a few people quite late in the process.