Strategy Is Not the Problem. Execution Is

SteerCos keep asking, “are we on track to meet our timelines”? Is that even the right question? Just because we meet our timelines, does it inherently mean we have achieved the value we set out to achieve?

The numbers are difficult to ignore.

·       70% of transformations fail (McKinsey)

·       Only 20% of strategies succeed (Harvard Business Review)

Most organizations assume the issue lies with the strategy. In most cases, the strategy is sound, the problem lies in how execution is managed.

Execution in most organizations quickly becomes a focus on tasks, timelines, and status updates. Teams track activities, close action items, and report progress against project plans.

However, very few organizations actively track something far more important: Whether the initiative is actually delivering the value it was designed to create.

• Work gets completed

• Milestones get checked off

• Project dashboards turn green.

Yet the expected business outcomes often never materialize.

The gap exists because execution is frequently managed as a project management exercise, rather than a value realization discipline.

In Article 1 of my new series, “From Managing Work to Realizing Value”, I explore why organizations lose sight of value during execution and what leaders must do differently to ensure initiatives deliver measurable business outcomes.

Let’s talk about something uncomfortable: how hard small firms work to get a foot in the door, especially when competing against the Big 4 and other entrenched giants.

Unlike them, we do not have the luxury of brand name recognition or million-dollar marketing budgets. We rely on grit. We build trust one conversation at a time. We use LinkedIn messages, referrals, and personal outreach all in hopes of offering a solution worth your attention.

And more often than not? We get ghosted. Not even a “Thanks, but not a fit.” No referral. No redirection. Just silence.

In a world dominated by boardroom favorites and bloated vendor lists, small consultancies like mine often get overlooked, or flat-out ignored. But every now and then, someone actually reads the message. This is the story of what happened when one senior executive did just that. How a single LinkedIn reply turned into a 12-month, high-impact engagement, a game-changing value realization tool, and a lifelong professional relationship.

At M&AD Advisory, we are not trying to be the biggest name in the boardroom. We are trying to be the best partner in your results.

Here’s what makes us different (and no, it's not a glossy brochure with 12 phases of “alignment”):
🔸 Senior-level attention, start to finish
🔸 Real-world, shop-floor experience, beyond just theory
🔸 Speed + precision, no endless cycles of revisiting the same concepts and options
🔸 AI-driven tools (included, not upsold)
🔸 Value-focused pricing, because you should not have to mortgage your roadmap for a presentation
🔸 Hands-on execution, sleeves rolled up, no fluff

We are fast, focused, and fully invested and without billing you for every breath we take