The strategy-to-execution gap is an enduring problem with no easy solution. As the Japanese proverb goes, “Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.” In their seminal HBR piece, Paul Leinwand, Cesare Mainardi, and Art Kleiner outlined what senior leaders must do to close the strategy-to-execution gap. We built on this research by going beyond the lens of the individual leader to investigate how the most successful teams bridge the gap. We wanted to unpack the how by identifying what sets these teams apart in terms of how they spend their time and the critical behaviors they engage in. To do this, we examined how 49 enterprise leadership teams spend their time and also looked at their perceived effectiveness on critical behaviors of a senior team. They also responded to items that corresponded to the Leinwand et al. framework, as detailed below.
How the Most Successful Teams Bridge the Strategy-Execution Gap
Research shows that the most successful senior teams create a permeable membrane between the organization’s mission and its day-to-day activities. They are agile in course-correcting when the needs of the business change, and are more easily prepared to shift organizational resources to ensure that the strategy is executed. The ability to prioritize is a key ingredient to a team’s success. Being intentional about the best and highest use of the team’s time is the key lever in getting results. High-performing teams, compared to lower-performing teams, spend 54% more time first setting direction, crafting a vision that serves as a guiding light for decisions regarding resources. They spend more time strategizing and translating that strategy into actionable goals, and interacting with key stakeholders to ascertain and anticipate roadblocks and opportunities.