© #ShouryaSays
“Any strategy is as good as its execution and the outcome it achieves vis-a-vis what it’s meant to achieve!”
Strategy is that elixir which is thought to change the fortunes of an organisation. It often gets the credit if things go right and the blame when things go wrong. If things don’t go right or if expected numbers don’t show up, the first thing which is looked at with microscopic lenses is strategy.
“Strategy may be the script, but it’s the execution that brings the performance alive.”
Today’s business environment is dynamic and volatile. According to a 2023 McKinsey survey, over 70% of strategic failures are attributed not to flawed strategy, but to poor execution. This reflects a critical truth: while crafting a brilliant strategy is essential, it is execution excellence that defines organizational outcomes.
Having said that, while strategy is important, what really matters is how the strategy is executed, the governance mechanisms, the fall-back, the pivoting, and how adaptive is the execution in different contexts. It’s actually the precision of the execution which gives the organisation an edge!
Execution agility has become the new competitive advantage. Research by Harvard Business Review indicates that companies that build adaptability into their execution models are 33% more likely to outperform their competitors in revenue growth and profitability. This reinforces the need for contextual flexibility in how strategies are operationalized.
“The edge belongs to those who execute with precision, agility, and a readiness to pivot.”
The execution edge is largely driven by the cultural construct of the organisation. There is no fixed recipe for a perfect organisational culture. It is derived from the ethos of the organisation and what it stands for, and lived everyday by its people. It needs to be contextually agile, i.e. it must have the ability to pivot periodically to ensure that desired goals are achieved.
Culture is the invisible operating system that enables or hinders execution. A 2022 PwC report notes that 67% of senior leaders believe culture is more important to performance than strategy or operating models. In fast-changing contexts, a flexible, resilient culture allows for seamless realignment without losing focus on end goals.
And in all this, what’s most important is people leadership and people management. How you treat your people, how you respond to them, how you reward them, how you align them, are all important aspects which shape the cultural construct and consciousness of the organisation.
When people are treated fairly, rewarded appropriately and aligned timely, an organisation gains the collective people energy to deliver on the desired outcomes. As Gallup research points out, engaged employees are 21% more productive and 22% more profitable for their companies compared to those who are disengaged.
Ultimately, it’s leadership behaviours, execution discipline, and the energy of aligned people that breathe life into a strategy, turning ambitions into achievements.
