Leadership thinking. Sector intelligence.
Why Great Strategies Fail
Every leadership team we work with invests significant time developing strategy.
Offsites.
Strategy workshops.
Market analysis.
Growth plans.
The strategy deck is usually excellent.
Yet 12–18 months later, many organisations quietly acknowledge something uncomfortable.
The strategy hasn’t translated into real change.
Not because the strategy was wrong.
But because execution was never designed.
A Communications Plan Is Not A Change Management Plan
Communication and change management are related, but they’re not the same discipline. Communications creates awareness. Change management creates adoption. One tells people what’s happening. The other helps them actually get there.
Practical perspectives from people who've been there.
The Strategy Realisation Framework
From strategy to sustained performance
This framework illustrates the key stages involved in turning a strategic vision into sustained performance. Each phase builds upon the previous one, creating a cohesive flow from strategy definition to tangible results.
Boards often have clear expectations for their next technology leader: to deliver and manage technology effectively. Yet when asked what went wrong with the last appointment, technology is rarely the answer.
With nearly four decades of experience advising boards on senior technology leadership across various sectors, including financial services, healthcare, government, higher education, professional services, and industrial and commercial enterprises, I've had this conversation many times. It highlights a disconnect between how organisations define the CIO role and what it actually takes to succeed in it today.
This article draws on the latest global research, alongside our own experience from decades of senior technology leadership appointments, to set out what has changed, what it now takes to lead effectively in this role, and how organisations can hire for impact.