As we enter 2025, leaders are confronted with an ever-changing business environment, defined by digital transformation, disruption, and an accelerated pace of change. At the inaugural LeaderSHIFT of 2025, thought leaders from various fields came together to explore “Strategy Meltdown” and address the critical challenges of executing strategy in the digital age.
In this blog, we delve into the profound insights shared by Robin Speculand, Dr. Gaia Grant, Andrew Grant, and Jeremy Blain, offering practical frameworks, strategies, and leadership mindsets that executives can adopt to avoid strategic failure and drive long-term success.
The Digital Strategy Crisis: A Growing Challenge
In his first masterclass in Johannesburg, “Strategy in a Digital World,” Robin Speculand, an expert on strategy and digital implementation, highlighted a concerning trend: for the first time in 20 years, leaders are becoming worse at executing their strategies. Drawing on his latest research and his book Implement: Doing It Right in a Digital World, Robin argues that leaders know what to do, but there is a difference between knowing and doing it. This gap between formulation and execution is one of the primary causes of strategy meltdowns in today’s digital landscape. Leaders require greater discipline.
Robin’s assertion that “the spotlight needs to shine equally on strategy and implementation” speaks to the core issue facing executives. A strategy is only as good as its execution, yet many organisations still regard execution as an afterthought. This critical oversight undermines the potential of strategic initiatives and impedes long-term business success in a digital world.
One framework that Robin presents is the Implementation Compass, a tool designed to bridge the gap between strategy formulation and action. The Compass encourages leaders to focus on the eight areas required for excellence in execution, and to prioritise the right actions throughout the implementation journey. As Robin puts it: “Success lies in the disciplined execution of the right priorities.”
Speculand reinforces the need for leaders to have tenacity, passion, and discipline as key drivers for successful strategy execution. Moving forward requires leaders to remain committed to consistent right actions, ensuring that their long-term strategy is translated into tangible outcomes.
Creative Thinking and Innovation Leadership for a Competitive Advantage
In their second and third masterclasses, Dr. Gaia Grant and Andrew Grant focused on the pivotal role of creative thinking and innovation leadership in gaining a competitive edge. Their presentation, “Harnessing Creativity for Competitive Advantage,” underscored that creativity is not just a buzzword, but an essential element of innovation and business growth.
Drawing from their books “Who Killed Creativity?... And How Can We Get It Back?” along with “The Innovation Race: How to Change a Culture to Change the Game" and their extensive experience in innovation management consulting, the Grants explained that real creativity comes from consistently managing the entire process from idea generation through to strategic implementation. It starts with generating great ideas—but then you must also turn those ideas into actionable business solutions.
To foster creativity, they advocate for cross-pollination—encouraging collaboration across various functions and disciplines to break free from the limitations of the neurological “Blue Zone” (characterised by fight, flight, or freeze responses). By creating an environment conducive to creative problem-solving, organisations can spark innovation and drive transformation.
A central concept from the Grants’ teaching is that this critical first step is necessary to prepare for Design Thinking, which provides a structured yet flexible method for converting creativity into practical business decisions. By adopting a customer-centric, iterative approach to problem-solving, organisations can craft innovative solutions that address real-world challenges.
To support leaders with creating a culture of innovation in their organisation, the Grants advocate for Ambidextrous Leadership—the ability to balance exploration (pursuing breakthrough innovations) with preservation (refining existing systems and structures). This essential leadership style, as revealed in Dr Grant’s research with global innovation leaders, encourages agility, alignment, and exponential growth which enable leaders to make strategic decisions that drive impact in a rapidly evolving environment.
For leaders concerned with more effective strategy execution, creative thinking and innovation leadership become indispensable in finding and implementing innovative solutions to complex challenges. Cultivating creativity at every level of the organisation enables leaders to break out of traditional thinking and gain an edge in a competitive market.
The Power of Distributed Leadership
Jeremy Blain’s masterclass, “One Leader is Not Enough,” focused on a concept that is rapidly gaining traction in forward-thinking organisations: distributed leadership.
Jeremy’s research and writings, including his book "Unleash The Inner CEO – Make Distributed Leadership a Reality", explore how organisations can adapt to an increasingly complex world by empowering teams at all levels.
Jeremy stressed that distributed leadership is not just a HR function but a leadership necessity. As organisations face increased volatility, uncertainty, complexity, ambiguity, and an increasingly dispersed workforce (VUCAD) the need to empower teams in embracing greater ownership and making decisions at all levels are critical for maintaining agility and driving innovation. Underpinned by a Growth Mindset and supported by line management who get back to the core of their traditional role. As coaches, capability builders and growth engines for the business.
Distributed leadership requires a mindset shift. Senior leaders must function as enablers, creating an environment where leadership is not confined to the top levels of the organisation. By removing obstacles, providing resources, and fostering a culture of empowerment, organisations can encourage leadership to emerge across the business, driving collaboration and accountability.
Jeremy advocates for working smarter, not just harder. He challenges leaders to reconsider the traditional top-down approach to leadership and instead focus on creating structures that allow for greater decision-making power at all levels. This approach enhances organisational agility and ensures a stronger alignment with strategic goals.
Additionally, Jeremy highlights the importance of early wins and gradually scaling successes. This incremental approach helps build momentum and demonstrates the effectiveness of distributed leadership. As organisations achieve small successes, they can expand their efforts, eventually driving large-scale change.
Strategic Reflections for Leaders
As you assess your organisation’s strategic direction, here are a few key questions to consider:
Balancing Strategy and Execution: Are you ensuring that strategy development is intricately linked to its execution? Is your organisation focused on a few, well-executed priorities, or are you trying to achieve too much at once?
Fostering Innovation and Creativity: Are you nurturing a culture of creativity and cross-functional collaboration? How well are you balancing breakthrough innovation with maintaining operational stability?
Leadership Structures: Do you have the right leadership frameworks to drive agility and achieve results? Are your senior leaders acting as enablers, empowering teams across the organisation?
By embracing the principles shared by Robin Speculand, Dr. Gaia Grant, Andrew Grant, and Jeremy Blain, leaders can sidestep the common pitfalls that lead to strategy meltdowns. Instead, they can create a culture of disciplined execution, creative innovation, and distributed leadership that drives sustained business success in the digital age.
The Path Forward: A Call to Action
The insights presented at LeaderSHIFT January 2025 offer a clear roadmap for leaders navigating the complexities of strategic execution in a digital world. By embracing the principles of strategic execution, creative innovation, and distributed leadership, organisations can avoid strategy meltdowns and build a resilient, agile, and competitive future.
As we look ahead to 2025, the question for leaders is not whether strategy will need to adapt, but how effectively they will execute that adaptation. Will you be the leader who drives change, or will you watch it unfold?
The choice is yours.
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