May 23, 2025 l Business World
Strategy execution sounds straightforward — set a plan, follow through, see results. But anyone who’s led a strategic initiative knows it’s rarely that simple. I’ve been in those meetings where we’ve built what looked like the perfect plan on paper, only to watch it stall once implementation starts. That disconnect between planning and doing is the problem many organizations are still struggling to fix. According to the 2025 AchieveIt report, even with more awareness, tools, and processes available than ever, the majority of organizations are still falling short when it comes to getting strategies across the finish line.
The study found that execution problems almost always tie back to six key areas: leadership alignment, collaboration, accountability, progress tracking, continuous improvement, and the smart use of technology. Let’s start with leadership. The numbers speak loudly — 91% of leaders believe that a lack of strategic vision is the reason most plans fail. I’ve seen this firsthand. You can have the most detailed roadmap, but if your team doesn’t see how their work connects to a bigger picture, they lose motivation. Worse, they start pulling in different directions. What makes it harder is that some leaders think their job ends once the strategy is drafted. But execution demands ongoing leadership. The best leaders don’t just set the vision — they keep everyone aligned with it every step of the way.
Then, there’s collaboration, or rather, the lack of it. The report showed that 77% of leaders say silos slow down both execution and innovation. And while many organizations claim to promote collaboration, most aren’t following through. It’s one thing to say departments should work together; it’s another to give them the space and support to do it. One of the most interesting insights was that organizations with strong cross-functional collaboration were nearly twice as successful in reaching their strategic goals. That’s not surprising when you think about how quickly things can move once teams stop duplicating efforts and start sharing ideas and resources.
Accountability was another big one. The study found that 95% of leaders saw better progress when accountability was clear. It seems so obvious — if no one owns a task, it doesn’t get done. But in practice, we often assign projects to “teams” rather than individuals, and the responsibility gets lost. Organizations that defined ownership clearly, tracked it, and followed up regularly were 10 times more likely to see improved results. That’s huge. And yet, 81% of organizations still struggle with delays caused by unclear accountability. This is where structured status updates, regular check-ins, and visible ownership make a difference.
One point that stood out for me was how many organizations still treat plans as static documents. Strategy isn’t something you print and forget. Only 55% of leaders actually use regular check-ins to track progress, even though 66% say consistent updates increase their odds of hitting targets. That mismatch shows how hard it is to build routines around tracking. Still, when teams use tools like real-time dashboards, they’re 10 times more likely to achieve their goals. That’s not because dashboards are magic — it’s because they provide clarity and visibility. When everyone can see progress (or the lack of it), conversations become more productive, and decisions move faster.
Continuous improvement is another area where organizations know what to do but struggle to follow through. The report showed that 82% of organizations that conduct annual reviews improve their goal achievement. On top of that, plans that are updated every year are seven times more likely to support better collaboration. But here’s the kicker — only about half of the organizations surveyed said they learn from each strategy cycle. It’s a missed opportunity. If we don’t reflect on what worked and what didn’t, we’re likely to repeat the same mistakes. One leader in the study described it best: “Companies fail because they either do too much of the same or chase too much of the new.” Success often means balancing both — building on lessons while staying flexible.
Technology is supposed to make strategy execution easier, and when used right, it does. The study showed that 87% of leaders said access to real-time data directly improves strategic outcomes. And organizations using dashboards are 88% more likely to improve year over year. That’s not surprising. I’ve seen how just one good dashboard can shift how a team communicates, prioritizes, and adjusts. On the other hand, teams still relying on manual updates are 79% more likely to respond slower to change. It’s not just about speed, though — it’s about confidence. Teams that use real-time tools feel more aligned with long-term goals.
At the heart of it all, execution isn’t about fancy frameworks or jargon. It’s about people doing the right work at the right time, with enough clarity and support to stay focused. That’s why strategy execution is less about writing a better plan and more about managing how people act on it day-to-day. As the AchieveIt report shows, when organizations commit to alignment, collaboration, accountability, tracking, improvement, and smart tech, strategy stops being an abstract idea and becomes something real — something that gets done.
***The views expressed herein are his own and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of his office as well as FINEX. For comments, email rey.lugtu@hungryworkhorse.com. Photo is from Pinterest.