Mistakes to Avoid: 5 Things That Can Go Wrong When Turning Strategy into Results

Crafting a great strategy is just the start. The real challenge is turning it into results. Over the years, I’ve seen the same mistakes repeated time and again by leadership teams. Avoiding these pitfalls determines whether a great strategy paper ends up in a drawer or delivers real results.

Here are the five most common mistakes when moving from strategy to execution:

1. Lack of Clarity

Many leaders stay busy with day-to-day operations without stepping back to ask: What truly moves the needle for our customers and business?
Without clarity on what creates real value, teams can end up working hard but achieving very little. Often, this comes from a lack of experience in clearly defining what business you’re really in.

2. Lack of Prioritization

Not every project is a priority. Yet many organizations spread themselves too thin, tackling too many initiatives at once. When projects aren’t clearly tied to top-level strategic goals, teams end up with lots of activity—but little impact.

3. Poor Operationalization

A strategy is only as good as its execution. If it isn’t translated into concrete goals, linked to budgets, and supported with the right capabilities, it’s destined to fail. No matter how brilliant an idea may be, without resources or skills behind it, it won’t succeed.

4. Lack of Alignment

When employees and key stakeholders don’t understand the company’s top priorities—or how their daily work connects to them—execution stalls. Often, the issue isn’t that there’s no strategy, but that it hasn’t been communicated in a way that’s clear, engaging, and inspiring.

5. Losing Momentum

Many strategic initiatives start strong but fade over time. “Business as usual” takes over, or new shiny projects steal the spotlight. Without simple, meaningful metrics and consistent follow-up, teams don’t know if they’re still on track—and execution fizzles out.

The Way Forward

The good news: while avoiding these mistakes isn’t easy, it is simple with the right approach. I’ve developed a 3-step framework to help leaders translate strategy into results and keep their organizations focused, aligned, and moving forward.

Check out my framework here: 3 STEPS FRAMEWORK

Kristina-Janjic-Execution_x_Power-02-a-1

Kristina Janjic schafft aus ambitionierten Ideen messbare Ergebnisse und nachhaltigen Impact.

Bekannt für ihren Pioniergeist und ihre starke Umsetzungskompetenz, bringt sie einen strukturierten Ansatz mit, der immer auf vertrauensvollen Beziehungen und wertschätzender Zusammenarbeit basiert.

Ihre Leidenschaft liegt darin, ihre Erfahrung und Fähigkeiten zu nutzen, um CxOs und Führungskräfte dabei zu unterstützen, ihre Ambitionen in nachhaltigen Impact zu verwandeln.