Strategy execution support assignments are my favourite because they give you a front-row seat to the client’s real world for 12 months or more. You are not just reading reports, you’re in the meetings, watching habits, seeing behaviours, and spotting the gaps no one talks about.
You learn quickly who walks when they should be running, and whose reports sound impressive but add zero value to the real issues at hand.
In early 2023, I was brought in to support a client’s strategy execution. Within three weeks of sitting in, one challenge became painfully clear: the leadership team met every Monday for three hours, yet nothing moved.
The CEO was frustrated. On paper, the agenda looked solid: strategy updates, operational issues, performance reports, but beneath the surface, it was theatre. Every week, the same issues returned, the same promises were made, the same faces nodded, and no progress was made.
It reminded me of planting season back in Munteme village, where I grew up. You could talk about tilling the soil all day. You could even walk the fields, pointing out where the maize should be planted.
But unless someone put the hoe into the ground, marked the rows, and actually planted the seeds, nothing grew. Talk does not feed a family, and in business, talk does not deliver results.
This is the disease of weak accountability. People “own” nothing. No deadlines. No deliverables. Everyone hides in the safety of “we” and “the team.” It feels good in the meeting, but it is lethal to execution.
When no one is held to a specific result by a specific date, work becomes a floating cloud, visible but untouchable.
"The fix is not another meeting or a better “to-do” list. The fix is a culture shift from shared talk to personal ownership. "
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In high-performing teams, every agenda item ends with a name, a clear deliverable, and a date.
a) The name ensures a single point of responsibility.
b) The deliverable clarifies what success looks like.
c) The date creates urgency and accountability. Without all three, you are planting seeds in the wind.
Executives often fear this level of clarity because it removes the escape routes. It exposes weak performers and makes procrastination visible. But avoiding it is like refusing to count money because you’re afraid to find out you’re broke. Download the Accountability Chain Template to get started
Learn how we install bulletproof accountability systems that turn endless talk into measurable results.
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