Walk into most boardrooms and you’ll see the same ritual: a rousing town hall, a shiny new strategy deck, a few pep talks about culture and ownership — and then 12 months later, a long list of missed targets.
The uncomfortable truth? Execution failure isn’t mysterious. It’s mathematical. Research consistently shows that up to 70 per cent of corporate strategies fail — not because the ideas are weak, but because organisations never build the underlying equation that turns strategy into predictable outcomes.
Most leadership teams don’t know the formula. They try to solve a mathematical problem with motivational tools. And that’s why so many strategies — even brilliant ones — die somewhere between PowerPoint and performance.
The false belief: Execution is ‘soft’
Too many leaders still treat execution as something intangible — a function of culture, communication, or morale. Those things matter, but they’re not the drivers of reliability.
In reality, execution success can be modelled by three measurable variables:
Clarity: Does everyone in the organisation know what matters most? (Benchmark: at least 80 per cent of managers should be able to name the same top three priorities without prompting.)
Cadence: Are there structured, non-negotiable rhythms that keep execution moving? (Benchmark: strategic reviews should occur monthly, on fixed dates, and never be skipped.)
Consequence: Are there real stakes — rewards and penalties — tied to delivery? (Benchmark: leadership compensation should include direct links to strategic outcomes.)
I call this the C3 Formula.™ And when any one of these variables is missing, strategy turns into wishful thinking.
When ‘motivation’ meets math
A regional airline I advised learned this the hard way. Their executive team insisted they had an “execution culture.” Yet a simple C3 Audit revealed that only 22 per cent of their extended leadership team could name the company’s top three priorities.
The result? Execution reliability hovered around 43 per cent. Projects slipped, KPIs drifted, and accountability evaporated.
Here’s what changed when they stopped relying on speeches and started applying math:
They rewrote and relentlessly communicated their top three priorities.
They instituted monthly, non-negotiable performance reviews.
They tied leadership bonuses — and consequences — directly to progress.
Within a year, execution reliability jumped to 87 per cent. EBITDA margin rose by 2.1 percentage points, and strategic project delivery doubled — with no new headcount and no new technology. Just a system built on measurable levers instead of motivational fluff.
Why the equation always works
The most resilient leadership teams deliberately make this equation part of how they run the business — not a side project.
Clarity creates focus. It aligns every meeting, decision, and budget to what truly matters.
Cadence creates momentum. It prevents drift and keeps execution visible, urgent, and alive.
Consequence creates accountability. It makes execution more than “someone else’s problem.”
Together, they form a measurable system — one that consistently outperforms culture speeches, leadership retreats, and corporate slogans.
And here’s the cost of ignoring that system: Every quarter your C3 score stays below 70, you’re leaking EBIT, delaying growth, and quietly compounding strategic risk. Execution failure doesn’t just hurt your numbers — it builds competitive advantage for someone else.
Quick wins: Three ways to improve your C3 score this quarter
If you want to build execution reliability fast, start with small, high-leverage shifts:
Test for clarity tomorrow. Ask your extended leadership team to write down the organisation’s top three priorities — without checking notes. If more than 20 per cent give different answers, clarity is your first problem.
Lock in your cadence. Move from ad-hoc reviews to a visible, predictable performance rhythm. The most reliable organisations treat strategy reviews like board meetings — fixed in the calendar and impossible to skip.
Link consequence to outcomes. Tie a portion of leadership compensation, recognition, or promotion criteria directly to delivery on strategic priorities. Behaviour changes fastest when stakes are real.
These same principles power execution not just in large enterprises, but in mid-size businesses and fast-growing startups too. Even small companies see dramatic results when they build clarity, lock in cadence, and introduce consequence.
Your leadership math test
Before you sign off on next year’s strategy, ask yourself three uncomfortable but critical questions:
Could your extended leadership team, if tested today, name the same three priorities word-for-word?
Are your review rhythms predictable, visible, and impossible to skip?
Are rewards and consequences directly tied to strategic outcomes — or are they still based on the previous strategy, or worse, on politics and perception?
If you hesitate on any of the above, you’re not facing a “motivation problem.” You’re failing the execution equation.
Your next strategy off-site shouldn’t start with bold ideas — it should start with your execution math. Until the numbers add up, the vision won’t.
Monehin is the author of Execution is a lie. He can be reached via: www.TheAkinMonehin.com/vault
