This three-part series about strategy and its execution is based on Richard Lepsinger’s book, Closing the Execution Gap: How Great Leaders and Their Companies Get Results (Jossey-Bass/A Wiley Imprint, 2010). Part one defines the “five bridges” that companies can use to close the gap; part two describes how to build the bridges; and part three highlights successful companies that have bridged the gap.

If you read part one of this series, you're now familiar with the “five bridges” that enable a company to execute well. But how do you go about building them? First, you get comfortable with the fact that it’s a never-ending process. Then, you put certain time-tested tools and techniques in place and implement them relentlessly. The following, excerpted from Closing the Execution Gap, are some of my favorite tricks of the trade for getting these bridges underway.

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