If your organization is like so many others, it seems to have all the ingredients for success firmly in place. A well-thought-out vision? Check. A realistic strategy? Check. Skilled, highly engaged employees, quality products and services, strong customer relationships? Check, check, check. So why, in the face of everything you’re doing right, can’t you deliver consistent results? If an organization can’t execute, nothing else matters—not the smartest strategy, not the most innovative business model, not even game-changing technology. I like to sum this issue up with a concept I’ve been studying for years. I call it the “execution gap.” For many companies there is a clear gap between intent and execution.

I can back this with hard evidence. My consulting company, OnPoint Consulting, studied more than 400 companies and found that 49 percent of the leaders surveyed reported a gap between their organization’s ability to formulate and communicate a vision and strategy, and its ability to deliver results.

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