🔍 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆

𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙜𝙮—𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙛 𝙞𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙞𝙩.

🧠 After more than three decades advising leadership teams on enterprise systems, operating models, and transformation strategy, I’ve noticed a recurring pattern:

🔄 The 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀 of a company 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 its external narrative.

• Some brands 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 👑 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘀.

• Others 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘀 yet run as 📊 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 or 🛡️ 𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘀.

• Many inherit a 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮, 𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗲𝘀—slow, top-down, and resistant to innovation.

🧭 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝘂𝗺: It’s not enough to have a strategy.

➡️ The 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻’𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆—and that ideology must be intentionally:

✅ 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱

🧱 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱

🔄 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗱

📉 Too often, strategy is 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗸, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗱𝗼𝗰𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲.

Without alignment, even the most brilliant plans collapse in the gap between aspiration and execution.

👥 𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱

In my work with clients—especially during enterprise system evaluations—I regularly encounter:

💡 Exceptionally intelligent leaders who often struggle with execution.

Not due to talent deficits…

…but due to unclear decision rights, contradictory incentives, and legacy culture traps.

⚖️ 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀

Here’s what that looks like:

📈 A 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗢𝗢 trying to scale within a 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿-𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝘆

🗳️ A 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 constrained by 𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹

🧬 A 𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 undermined by 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘀

When strategy isn’t 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱, 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗱—it calcifies.

📉 𝗜𝘁 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘀.

😔 𝗜𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁.

🧩 𝗜𝘁 𝗲𝗿𝗼𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

🧠 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁

𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗺𝗮𝗽—𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺.

It must permeate:

🔍 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴

🎯 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀

🛠️ 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀

📊 𝗗𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

If you're seeing cracks in execution, don’t just rework the tactics.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝘀𝗸:

❓ 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴?