Send us Fan Mail
Why do so many organisations create great strategies but fail to achieve the results they planned?
In this episode of the Enterprise Excellence Podcast, Brad Jeavons speaks with Evan Campbell, strategy execution expert and author of Adapt to Win, about why organisations struggle with strategy execution, strategy deployment, organisational alignment and strategic adaptability.
Evan introduces the concept of strategy decay—the gradual loss of focus, alignment and momentum that occurs when an organisation creates a strategy but fails to continually deploy, reinforce, measure and adapt it.
With a career spanning the United States Army, technology, software development, entrepreneurship, agile transformation and business consulting, Evan brings a unique systems-thinking perspective to the challenge of helping organisations turn strategy into measurable results.
In this episode, we discuss:
Why up to 70% of organisations struggle to achieve their strategic objectives
What strategy decay is and why it happens
The difference between strategy development and strategy execution
Why a strategy PowerPoint presentation is not strategy deployment
How organisations lose focus and alignment over time
Why completing more projects does not necessarily create more value
How OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) can improve strategic alignment
The importance of combining top-down strategic direction with bottom-up engagement
How Lean Portfolio Management helps organisations prioritise high-value work
Why leaders need to stop or kill projects that are no longer delivering strategic value
The dangers of rigid, traditional project management
How organisations can develop strategic adaptability
Why leadership teams often have false alignment around their strategy
Three practical actions CEOs and senior leaders can take to improve strategy execution
One of the biggest lessons from this conversation is simple:
Creating a strategy is only the beginning.
For strategy to succeed, leaders must create clarity around where the organisation will play, how it will win and what outcomes matter most. That strategy then needs to be continuously deployed, measured and adapted as the business environment changes.
If you're a CEO, executive, business leader, strategy professional, transformation leader, lean practitioner, agile coach or enterprise excellence professional, this episode provides practical insights into improving business strategy, strategy deployment, organisational performance and strategic execution.
About Evan Campbell
Evan Campbell is an experienced technology and business leader specialising in strategy execution, strategic adaptability, OKRs and lean portfolio management.
His career has included serving as an Airborne Ranger and Green Beret in the United States Army, working in telecommunications and technology, co-founding successful businesses, leading agile and lean transformations and helping organisations around the world improve how they execute strategy.
Evan is also the author of Adapt to Win, a book exploring how organisations can overcome strategy decay and build the capabilities needed to adapt and thrive in an increasingly complex world.
🎙️ Listen to the Enterprise Excellence Podcast:
https://enterpriseexcellencegroup.com.au/enterprise-excellence-podcast/
📺 Watch more Enterprise Excellence Podcast episodes:
https://www.youtube.com/@enterpriseexcellencepodcas6777
📖 Learn more about Evan Campbell and Adapt to Win:
https://www.lbiconsulting.com/strategymeetsreality-podcast/making-strategy-real-evan-campbell
⏱️ Chapters
00:00 – Introduction
01:11 – Evan Campbell's journey from Green Beret to business leader
05:12 – Becoming a systems thinker
07:20 – Why Evan wrote Adapt to Win
10:22 – What is strategy decay?
13:19 – Why organisations struggle with strategy deployment
15:31 – The importance of strategic alignment
17:46 – Why strategy should not just be a collection of projects
22:28 – OKRs vs traditional management by objectives
25:50 – Lean Portfolio Management and stopping low-value projects
27:20 – Strategic adaptability and responding to change
30:01 – Three actions leaders can take to improve strategy execution
36:07 – Where to learn more about Evan Campbell and Adapt to Win
Subscribe to the Enterprise Excellence Podcast for conversations with leading experts, CEOs, practitioners and thought leaders exploring how organisations can create a better future through enterprise excellence, continuous improvement, leadership, strategy and organisational transformation.
#StrategyExecution #BusinessStrategy #OKRs #Leadership #EnterpriseExcellence #LeanManagement #StrategyDeployment #OrganisationalExcellence #BusinessTransformation #ContinuousImprovement #LeanPortfolioManagement #StrategicLeadership
To learn more about what we do, visit https://eexg.com.au/
Thanks for your time, and thanks for helping to create a better future.
