Why Strategy Execution Still Fails — And What to Do About It
You’ve seen it before: a bold vision, a solid strategy, buy-in from the top… and then nothing. Months go by, momentum fizzles, and the real change never quite arrives. Despite best intentions, the gap between strategy and execution remains one of the most consistent - and costly - failures in organisations of all shapes and sizes.
And yet, the data in the 2025 Cascade State of Strategy Report makes it impossible to ignore: 2 in 3 organisations say most projects miss deadlines.
That’s not a strategy problem. It’s an execution problem. And it’s time we treated it like one.
From Planning to Progress: The Missing Middle
Many of the organisations I work with - across both the for-purpose and private sectors - don’t struggle with creating plans. They struggle with delivering them. And the Cascade report validates that experience: while 91% of respondents say they believe in their strategy, fewer than half say their teams understand how to execute it.
It’s the space between knowing what to do and knowing how to do it that’s breaking down.
In one recent transformation project I worked on, a highly capable leadership team had created a solid three-year roadmap. But six months in, only 15% of initiatives had moved from paper to progress. When we dug deeper, the issue wasn’t resourcing or resistance. It was mobilisation, the critical bridge between strategic intent and operational reality.
They had illuminated the path, but hadn’t yet mobilised the people, systems and decisions needed to walk it. And crucially, they had no process in place to embed new ways of working into everyday practice.
The Strategy Illusion: Confidence Without Capability
One of the most striking insights in the Cascade report is the disconnect between executive confidence and capability. Leaders trust their strategy, but aren’t equipping their organisations to deliver it. There’s too much faith in the document, and not enough focus on the delivery engine.
This is what I often call strategy theatre: when we rehearse strategic planning year after year, but never open the curtain on actual change.
Worse still, the report shows that less than one-third of organisations use a strategy execution platform or system. The vast majority are flying blind—relying on spreadsheets, emails and hope.
This is why in the OmniStrategic Impact Framework, Mobilise and Embed are distinct and deliberate stages. Mobilise ensures that people are aligned, resourced and ready. Embed guarantees that change doesn’t sit in a project file.: it shows up in decisions, systems, dashboards and culture.
Without these stages, strategy becomes a wish list.
Three Shifts to Make Strategy Stick
If you’re in a boardroom or executive team wondering why transformation isn’t landing, here are three shifts you can make today:
Translate intent into action. Strategic goals need clear owners, defined milestones, and resourced pathways. “Improve customer experience” is not a strategy. “Reduce wait times by 30% by Q3, led by the COO” is.
Shift accountability down, not just up. Empowering middle management and frontline teams to own change is essential. One organisation I supported saw progress double once unit leaders were brought into monthly review huddles with actual decision rights.
Don’t just report—reinforce. Regular rhythm matters. Strategic goals should shape team check-ins, board papers, and budget conversations. If it’s not embedded, it’s not real.
Closing the Gap (For Real This Time)
Strategy is easy to write, harder to deliver, and even harder to sustain. But the solution isn’t a better document—it’s a better delivery discipline.
If your organisation’s transformation feels stuck, know this: it’s not a failure of ambition. It’s a failure of activation. And it can be fixed.
The best strategies don’t just sit in PowerPoint. They live in your calendar, your metrics, your meetings—and most of all, in the daily behaviours of your people.
I work with boards and execs who are serious about follow-through. If this resonated, drop me a note or connect—I’d love to hear what your biggest execution challenge is right now.
