How to Make Execution in Business Feel Easier and More Consistent

In the world of business, strategy is often the focus, but without effective execution, the best-laid plans can fall flat.

You may have heard the saying that “business ideas are worthless”, it’s because Execution is the bridge between vision and reality, and its importance cannot be overstated.

In this article, I will explore how we can make execution feel easier and more consistent — whether you are starting your business or side hustles, growing or scaling your business, this would be helpful.

FYI — the execution system that I use to make consistent $10k month working less than 6 hours a week is launching soon, and you can get insider early bird discount code by signing up for a 19 mins intro video (10 mins if you play at 2x speed LOL)

Part 1: Why Execution is equally, if not more important than Strategy

In the business world, strategy is the roadmap that guides a company’s direction and decisions.

It involves setting goals, identifying opportunities, and planning how to achieve them.

A well-crafted strategy can provide a competitive edge, drive growth, and ensure long-term success.

Hence, 99% of us keep focusing on finding the best strategy, the right strategy.

We focus all our efforts on tactics, how-tos, specific actions and steps needed, in other words, strategy.

And at the end, when we don’t get the results we desire or expect, we blame the strategy — “it’s not working for me” or “this strategy doesn’t work”.

But we overlook the execution gap.

Despite the importance of strategy, many businesses and entrepreneurs I know struggle with the execution gap — the difference between what is planned and what is actually achieved.

This gap can be attributed to various factors, e.g.:

1. Lack of Clarity: Sometimes, strategies are not totally understood effectively, and in the execution process confusion and misalignment came up.
2. Resource Constraints: Insufficient money, time, energy etc, can hinder the ability to execute plans. Even though you may have the best strategy and best plan in the world, it doesn’t matter if you fail to take into consideration the resources constraints that apply in our own situations.
3. Resistance to Change: Most often, we know what we need to do, but we fail to do it. Resistance to changes required by the strategy can be reflected in delays, procrastination or suboptimal execution.
4. Inadequate Monitoring: Without proper monitoring (holding ourselves accountable) and feedback mechanisms, we may not detect issues in execution until it’s too late. In other words, we may not know what works and what doesn’t.

The importance of execution was known to me when I studied at business school. There was a case study of Kodak.

Kodak is a classic example of a company that excelled in strategy but failed in execution.

Despite being a pioneer in digital photography, Kodak was slow to adapt its business model to the digital age. The company’s inability to execute its digital strategy effectively led to its decline, eventually leading to bankruptcy.

Execution determines at least 70% of the results we get, but we focus 90% of the efforts on strategy.

Part 2: The Role of Execution

Execution is the process of turning strategy into action.

It involves the practical steps and actions needed to achieve the goals set out in the strategy.

Effective execution is not just about doing things right; it’s about doing the right things.

Absolutely, let’s explore this concept in greater detail to understand the nuances of what it means to execute effectively in a business context.

Execution is often misunderstood as merely completing tasks or projects.

However, the true essence of execution goes beyond merely “getting things done.”

It’s about doing those things correctly and efficiently, aligning with the strategic goals.

This distinction is critical because it shifts the focus from mere activity to the quality and impact of that activity.

We need to pay attention to these to Doing Things Right:

1. Quality: The end result must meet or exceed the standards. Quality is not just about the final product but also about the processes that lead to it.
2. Efficiency: The process should be streamlined to minimize waste and maximize resource utilization. Efficient execution ensures that tasks are completed with minimal delays and unnecessary costs.
3. Consistency: Consistency in execution is crucial for maintaining a high standard across all projects and tasks. It ensures that our performance is reliable and predictable.
4. Adherence to Strategy: The execution must align with our strategic objectives. This alignment ensures that all efforts contribute to the overall success.

Part 3: How to Execute Right?

Here are some key aspects for highly-effective execution:

1. Alignment: Ensuring that execution steps are aligned with the strategy and goal.
2. Accountability: There has to be system to hold ourselves accountable for the execution.
3. Adaptability and Performance Metrics: We need to know what works and what doesn’t, and staying flexible and responsive to changes when needed. A good execution system should enable us to do that. These performance metrics should also be aligned with the strategic objectives of the organization

According to a study by Harvard Business Review, entrepreneurs that focus on both strategy and execution are 2.5 times more likely to achieve their goals, then mainly focusing on strategy.

What’s more, a study by Bain & Company found that companies (or entrepreneurs) with strong execution capabilities are 5 times more likely to be in the top quartile of financial performance.

Therefore, we need to focus more on execution, and execution is not just about getting things done; it’s about doing them right.

Part 4: How Strategy and Execution works together in 1 system

While strategy provides the vision and direction, execution is what brings that vision to life.

The two are interdependent; a great strategy without effective execution is meaningless, and even the most well-executed plan can fail if the strategy is flawed.

This is why to build a sustainable and profitable business or side hustle in limited time and resources, we must focus on both strategy and execution to achieve the financial success we desire.

The best thing is we don’t need multiple apps or softwares to do different parts of the strategy and execution.

I personally use 1 single system that integrate everything and is flexible enough to be personalised and tailored for anyone’s situations. I call it the “Epic 12” system.

Iit’s a plug and play, all in one strategic implementation system.

This is how it works (all the followings included in the system):

• Integrate Strategy and Execution: it ensures that the strategy isn’t just something flashy, but actually executable and breaks it down to actionable steps. And each steps should be getting us closer to what we want.
• Clarity of Purpose: we know exactly why we’re taking a certain actions and understand their role in executing the chosen strategy.
• Identify Key Processes: Determine which processes are critical to getting the results we desire and assess how we can allocate more resources (e.g. time and energy) to them. To-do lists don’t work that well because not every tasks weigh the same.
• Feedback loop included: there is regular feedback to assess execution and adjust the strategy as needed, which is essential for continuous improvement, so that we don’t need to start from level 0 every single time. Execution is not a one-time event; it’s a continuous process. The concept of Kaizen, a Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement, is a valuable framework. By focusing on incremental changes and learning from every execution, we can achieve greater consistency and efficiency.
• Performance Metrics: we don’t just measure the results, because after all we cannot control the results, all we can control is our actions and process. So in the system, I track not only results achieved but also actions completed and skills gained.
• Accountability included : there is accountability mechanism in the system to hold us accountable and allow us to reflect on what’s working and what’s not.
• Working smarter and more strategic: it’s not just another to-do list, but it’s more about prioritising what’ll give us 80% of the results and focusing more on these key tasks, it’s about working smarter, not harder. After all, execution is not just about getting things done; it’s about doing them right.
• Leverage technology : Technology can be a powerful ally in enhancing execution. Tools like project management software, CRM systems, and analytics platforms can streamline processes, provide real-time data, and enable better decision-making. But to simplify things and easier for use, I created a ultimate notion template that’s going to be the only tool you need for the system to work. Less is more. The easier it is, the more likely you can execute with more ease.

In conclusion, while strategy is often the focus in business, it is usually the execution that ultimately determines success.

We must bridge the execution gap by having in place a system that aids and helps us in effective execution.

Only by doing so, we can turn our strategic plans into tangible results.