Latest news with #execution
Forbes
3 hours ago
- Business
- Forbes
Vision Without Execution Is Hallucination—Here's How To Bridge The Gap
Nick Leighton. Best-selling author, speaker #ChampagneMoment Most leaders have a vision for where they want to lead their team and organization. It's often carefully crafted and meticulously planned in their minds. However, despite having a brilliant vision, things rarely go according to plan. In many cases, these inspiring visions remain nothing more than whiteboard dreams. The strategic picture in the boardroom bears little resemblance to its operational execution. Unfortunately, this is all too common in the business world. Why do so many strategic plans fail? Things can go awry for a number of reasons. Often, it's not a lack of effort or intelligence but the inability to build a connection between high-level ideas and repeatable, results-oriented action. This disconnect often stems from leaders treating an intellectual exercise of developing strategy as a separate thing from the gritty work of daily operations. Repeated cycles of failed execution can lead to feelings of strategy fatigue, where leaders become disengaged and frustrated and lose their edge. The good news is that this gap is something that can be addressed easily with the right approach. Align with your senior leadership. A leader can't execute a vision alone. It's critical that your senior leadership team is fully on board to champion it across the organization. Many visions are inspiring but vague. To achieve this alignment, hold a workshop with your core leadership team. It's important that this workshop doesn't become a one-way soapbox. Use it as an opportunity to get feedback from your leadership team. What might work brilliantly in your mind might have flaws that are not obvious to you. This collaboration also ensures that you have shared ownership of the vision and ensures collective understanding and support for execution. Convert your vision into actionable goals. Converting your high-level vision into actionable goals requires breaking it down into manageable parts. This approach can make a grand vision feel less overwhelming and easier to delegate to specific people or departments in the organization. The goal is to convert your overarching vision into three to five nonnegotiable, measurable outcomes within a specific, aggressive timeframe. These outcomes can then be further segmented into specific projects or tasks for the team to execute. Build an accountability matrix. Often, the failure point of a strategic vision is a lack of clear ownership or accountability. Leaders sometimes make the mistake of giving a blanket responsibility to everyone in the organization. The problem is that when everyone's responsible, no one is. To turn your vision into results, communicating clear roles and responsibilities is essential. One of the best ways to accomplish this is through an accountability matrix. In the matrix, every action details a clear owner, deadline and resources for operational clarity. By implementing a rigorous accountability matrix for all key projects and tasks, there will be no confusion as to who is responsible for each part of the overall plan. Break down silos. Strategies often falter due to departmental silos, leading to miscommunication and poor handoffs. This is especially true for massive organizations such as Fortune 500 companies. Leaders need to encourage the removal of barriers that prevent the cohesive execution of their plan. A good strategy is to establish regular cross-functional sync meetings. These should function like working sessions for interdependent leaders to proactively work to identify and resolve roadblocks, collaborate, facilitate smooth handoffs and share resources. Focus on maintaining momentum. Most strategic initiatives start the same way. They get a ton of attention and effort in the beginning when the business leader initially shares their vision, but over time, they lose momentum. As a leader, you need to focus closely on ways to keep your team from losing steam and seeing the execution through to the end. To prevent stalling, embed a consistent review cycle into your operations. Beyond quarterly reviews, hold weekly or bi-weekly operational check-ins for key initiatives. These meetings shouldn't be used for just status updates but as opportunities to resolve issues, confirm dependencies and commit to next steps. This regular attention can help create a steady, ongoing pressure to follow through. Celebrate small wins while being open to improvement. Executing a long-term strategic vision can be daunting, and teams need tangible progress to stay motivated and affirm they're on the right path. It's crucial to celebrate small wins along the way. Make it a regular practice to recognize and publicly celebrate incremental achievements. This builds morale and reinforces desired behaviors. While celebrating wins is critical, you can simultaneously use it as an opportunity to examine incomplete milestones that may be facing setbacks. This can allow for continuous improvement in a way that is healthy and conducive to focusing on success rather than shortfalls. The true power of a leader lies not just in envisioning the future but in meticulously orchestrating the execution that brings that vision to life. With the right strategic approach, you can inspire your team to get behind your vision and transform ambitious ideas into tangible, impactful results. Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?
Fox News
9 hours ago
- Fox News
Execution date set for Florida man convicted of kidnapping woman, killing her
A man on death row in Florida is scheduled to be executed next month for his conviction of abducting a woman from an insurance office and killing her. Kayle Bates, 67, is set to be put to death on Aug. 19 in the 10th execution scheduled for this year in Florida. Bates was convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping, armed robbery and attempted sexual battery in connection with the June 14, 1982, death of 24-year-old Janet White in Bay County. He was accused of abducting White from the State Farm insurance office where she worked before taking her into the woods behind the building, at which point he attempted to rape her, stabbed her to death, and tore a diamond ring from one of her fingers, according to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier's summary of the case. According to court records, Bates was a delivery man for a Tallahassee paper company and had made at least one earlier delivery stop at the insurance office. He had broken into the insurance office while White was on her lunch break and waited for her to return. Last year, the Florida Supreme Court rejected an appeal regarding a juror from his initial trial. The U.S. Supreme Court also denied a petition on June 30. Bates' attorney, James Driscoll Jr., said he would be filing further appeals in the case. "We believe his execution would violate the U.S. constitution," he told The Associated Press. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Bates' death warrant on Friday, just three days after the state executed Michael Bell for shooting and killing two people outside a bar in 1993 as part of an attempted revenge killing. Bell was the eighth person executed in Florida this year, and a ninth is scheduled for later this month. The state put six people to death in 2023, but only one execution happened last year. Bell was the 26th person to be executed in the U.S. so far this year in the U.S., exceeding the 25 executions carried out last year. This is the highest number of executions since 2015, when 28 people across the country were put to death.
Forbes
a day ago
- Business
- Forbes
Slow Down To Speed Up: Leadership Practice That Accelerates Execution'
Slowing down for planning allows us to speed up our execution In a results-driven world that prizes speed and early wins, leaders often feel pressure to move quickly. But ironically, the key to accelerating execution is slowing down at the start. Going slow isn't hesitation—it's strategy. It builds clarity, commitment, and momentum that far outpace the delays caused by rushing in prematurely. This principle rests on a foundational truth: if you want your team to move fast later, you must first align hearts, minds, and agendas. Why Rushing To Execution Undermines Team Performance Many initiatives fail not because the idea is wrong or resources are lacking, but because alignment is missing. When leaders skip early-stage dialogue, surfacing disagreement, and co-creating a shared vision, they often face confusion, resistance, and costly rework later. Common warning signs include: These are symptoms of rushed alignment—and they're Early Buy-In Accelerates Team Execution True buy-in is more than agreement; it's emotional and intellectual commitment. It often follows conflict, not silence. As Patrick Lencioni writes in 'The Five Dysfunctions of a Team', 'The only way for a team to develop trust and commitment is to engage in unfiltered conflict.' This is supported by research. A meta-analysis by DeChurch & Marks in the Journal of Organizational Behavior found that early-stage team conflict, when managed constructively, improves decision quality and execution speed (DeChurch & Marks, 2001). Similarly, a study by O'Reilly, Caldwell, and Barnett in Group & Organization Management showed that teams with aligned values and early participation in decision-making perform significantly better (O'Reilly et al., 2014).5 Steps Leaders Take to Align Teams and Move Faster Here's what 'great preparation' looks like in practice: Why Team Harmony Fuels Agility and Innovation This process also nurtures better teamwork. Teams that take the time to align tend to experience more harmony—not due to constant agreement, but through shared direction and mutual respect. This harmony increases emotional engagement, which research shows improves innovation, productivity, and retention (HBR, 2023). Remember - alignment isn't a delay; it's the Examples: How Amazon and Agile Teams 'Slow Down to Speed Up' Amazon famously uses the principle 'disagree and commit' to ensure alignment before action. Agile teams invest heavily in backlog grooming and sprint planning—slower upfront processes that enable faster iteration and course correction. Similarly, successful executive transitions often involve a deliberate 'listen and learn' phase before major decisions are made, building trust and insight. The Leader's Role in Aligning Strategy and Execution Leaders set the tempo. If you rush, others will follow. If you normalize alignment and early debate, your team will see it as strength. Model patience with ambiguity, encourage thoughtful questioning, and affirm that this 'slower' phase is not wasted time—it's the accelerator. This key theme of 'leaders who create space for dialogue, build buy-in through co-creation' is emphasized in my previous Forbes article 'Why Great Leaders Learn to sit with Uncertainty' Key Takeaway Leadership isn't about fast starts—it's about effective finishes. When you pause to align and engage others early, you lay the groundwork for agile, confident execution. The small upfront investment in time creates outsized returns in speed, teamwork, and impact. 'Slowing down to speed up' isn't a contradiction. It's one of the most powerful leadership disciplines of our time.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Execution date set for man who abducted woman from a Florida insurance office and killed her
A man who abducted a woman from a Florida insurance office and killed her is scheduled for execution in Florida under a death warrant signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Kayle Bates is set to die Aug. 19 in the 10th execution scheduled for this year. DeSantis signed the warrant Friday, just three days after the state executed Michael Bell for fatally shooting two people outside a Florida bar in 1993 as part of an attempted revenge killing. Bell was the 26th person to die by court-ordered execution so far this year in the U.S., exceeding the 25 executions carried out last year. It is the highest total since 2015, when 28 people were put to death. Bates, now 67, was convicted of first-degree murder, kidnapping, armed robbery and attempted sexual battery in the June 14, 1982, Bay County killing of Janet White. Bates abducted White from the State Farm insurance office where she worked, took her into some woods behind the building, attempted to rape her, stabbed her to death, and tore a diamond ring from one of her fingers, according to a letter from Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier summarizing the history of the case. Bates' attorney, James Driscoll Jr., said in a phone call Saturday that he would be filing further appeals in the case. 'We believe his execution would violate the U.S. constitution,' he said.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Washington Post
Execution date set for man who abducted woman from a Florida insurance office and killed her
A man who abducted a woman from a Florida insurance office and killed her is scheduled for execution in Florida under a death warrant signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. Kayle Bates is set to die Aug. 19 in the 10th execution scheduled for this year . DeSantis signed the warrant Friday, just three days after the state executed Michael Bell for fatally shooting two people outside a Florida bar in 1993 as part of an attempted revenge killing.
