After many years in the corporate world, I’ve learned that most organizations are not short on strategy.

We have plans, technology, talented people, and ambitious goals. But even the best strategy means very little without leaders who can turn it into execution. As organizations invest in AI, technology, transformation, and growth, I believe we should also be asking whether we have the leaders who can establish priorities, align teams, make decisions without perfect information, adapt when circumstances change, and ultimately deliver results. It’s also worth considering how we identify those leaders. Industry experience and functional expertise matter, but they don’t always tell us how someone will lead when the plan stops working. That’s something I’ve come to appreciate about the Special Operations leaders we work with at SOTF. They have spent years operating in complex environments where they are expected to understand the objective, establish priorities, empower others, adapt quickly, and execute. The terminology may differ in the corporate world, but the leadership capabilities remain remarkably relevant. As organizations think about the next 12 to 18 months, perhaps the question isn’t simply, “Who do we need to hire today?” It’s also, “What leadership capabilities will we need tomorrow, and are we building relationships with those people now?” Great strategy without execution is simply intention. Where does execution tend to break down in your organization, and what have you found actually helps? Kerry Black SOTF Director of Corporate Engagement