Leadership Habits That Kill Strategy

Most organisations don’t fail because of a bad strategy. They fail because leaders develop a plan, announce it with enthusiasm… and then let unhelpful habits quietly undo it.

Deciding where to play, how to win, and how to configure the business for long-term success is hard work. But implementing it is where the real challenge lies. A study of Fortune 500 CEOs found that only 14% believed their organisations were effective at executing their strategy.

Leadership behaviour has a big impact. Here are four habits that consistently kill strategy execution success — and what great leaders do instead.

1. The “Captain’s Call”

Sometimes a quick, decisive call is needed. But when that becomes the norm, it backfires. Making big strategic decisions in isolation leaves others feeling excluded, and worse — unconvinced. A strategy without commitment is like an arrow without a bow: it lacks power.

What to do instead: Involve your key leaders early. Give them a voice in shaping the strategy, not just executing it. Co-ownership drives commitment — and better decisions.

2. Leaders Don’t Really “Get It”

Many leaders think they understand the strategy — until they have to explain it. If the reasoning behind the choices isn’t clear, or the story doesn’t connect emotionally, alignment becomes difficult.

What to do instead: Build a shared understanding across your leadership group. That means:

• A clear sense of context — what’s driving our choices.

• A compelling logic — what makes this the right direction.

• A powerful emotional connection — why it matters. When leaders connect at both the head and the heart, they become authentic advocates who bring strategy to life for their teams.

3. Poor Tracking and Communication

What gets measured gets done — yet many teams don’t actually know how they’re performing against the strategy.Without visibility, energy drifts and accountability fades. The same applies to communication: if people can’t see progress or don’t hear consistent messages, strategy loses its spark.

What to do instead: Keep score visibly. Talk openly about progress and challenges. Celebrate wins, recalibrate where needed, and keep the story of the strategy alive.

4. Trying to Do Too Much

One of the biggest strategy killers? Trying to do everything. Strategy is as much about saying no as it is about deciding what to pursue. Diluted focus leads to diluted results.

What to do instead: Prioritise ruthlessly. Commit to fewer, bigger bets — and do them brilliantly.

Setting strategy is a leadership responsibility. Executing it is a leadership habit. The best organisations don’t just craft plans — they build the discipline and behaviours to turn them into reality.

A 10-year Harvard study found that businesses with clear, well-articulated strategies outperformed competitors by 332% in sales, 304% in profits, and 883% in shareholder returns.

Strong strategy starts with strong leadership habits. The question is — which of yours are helping your strategy succeed, and which might be quietly killing it?

This article is a summarized version of an article published in the CEO magazine by Blake Beattie

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