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From Below Group of Children Stacking Hands

<h2>Strategy Execution by Design Series</h2>
<h3>Lever 1: Trust &amp; Leadership Element 2: Active Leadership in the moment</h3>
Delivery of strategy often fails in small moments; what role does leadership play?
I've worked with executives who can deliver an inspiring speech at a strategy roadshow - clear, confident, and energising, which is a critical skill on its own. However, when it comes to the meeting where priorities blur, the performance conversation that never happens, or the decision pushed down the line, this is where the gap between words and actions opens up.
And people notice. Quickly.
When leaders aren’t present in those everyday moments, delivery of a strategy starts to unravel. Teams lose confidence, behaviours drift, and culture slides back to the path of least resistance.
Kouzes and Posner call this the essence of leadership credibility: people believe you when they see you follow through. John Kotter found the same - transformation stalls when leaders fail to sustain visible action. In my own master’s research, leaders described how inconsistency at the top fragmented execution. Nods of agreement in the room, but very different interpretations once people walked out the door.
So why don’t leaders always step in? Often it’s fear of conflict, pressure to “keep things moving, low self confidence or the level of demand - being stretched so thin they default to silence. But leaving things unsaid doesn’t make them go away - it just signals inconsistency, and people fill the gap with their own interpretations.
I learned this lesson personally. Earlier in my career, I avoided a tough performance conversation with a team member whose work wasn’t hitting the mark. I told myself I was protecting the relationship, but really, I was afraid of a conversation I’d never had to have. What I was doing was eroding trust with the rest of the team, who could see the gap but also saw me doing nothing. When I finally had the conversation, respectfully but directly, the shift was immediate. The team leaned back in because they saw I was prepared to act, not just talk.
Execution doesn’t live in off-site decks or keynote speeches. It lives in how leaders show up in the everyday: modelling the behaviours they expect. 
So what can leaders do differently today? - Notice behaviours that misalign with the strategy and call them in, respectfully. - Ask yourself where you can show up visibly this week to model execution. - Ask execution-focused questions, e.g., “What’s blocking progress?” or “How does this support our priority?” - Close the loop: when someone raises an issue, follow up and show what was done.
Because executing strategy is fragile in the absence of leadership. It either breaks in the small moments - or comes alive through them.
This is why active leadership in the moment is central to Lever 1: Leadership Cohesion &amp; Trust in my Execution by Design series.
<figure id="figure-xp34ulfrokmi3w0nd0"><img id="xp34ulfrokmi3w0nd0" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" title="From Below Group of Children Stacking Hands" src="https://cdn.durable.co/getty/397AZxgCDVdntqwxFFQZA8QIIltH1QtmFJzNAX6NWlVIBi4ENhvbmDTChqamLIu4.jpeg" alt="From Below Group of Children Stacking Hands" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" /></figure>
Engage with this post on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rebecca-reti-4582433b_executionbydesign-strategyexecution-changeleadership-activity-7370606810241695744-Ja-N?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop&amp;rcm=ACoAAAhmYsQBKppHDyfPTxqHXXgP5MmXRjB7WJs">https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rebecca-reti-4582433b_executionbydesign-strategyexecution-changeleadership-activity-7370606810241695744-Ja-N?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop&amp;rcm=ACoAAAhmYsQBKppHDyfPTxqHXXgP5MmXRjB7WJs</a> 
Written by Rebecca Reti, Strategy &amp; Execution Consultant at Rebecca Reti Consulting.

Strategy Execution by Design Series: Active leadership in the moment

A diverse group of professionals in a modern office celebrates success with a high-five

<h2>Strategy Execution by Design Series</h2><h3>Lever 1: Trust &amp; Leadership Element 1: First Team</h3>“Whose team are you really on?”I asked that question to a group of senior leaders and they looked puzzled. One finally said, “My team? Thats my direct reports.”And there it was.....The truth is, I see this all the time. Leaders who instinctively look down to their second team, not across to their peers. The executive table becomes a collection of portfolios, not a leadership team. Sounds harmless? It isn’t.Here’s what happens when peers aren’t your first team: &nbsp;- Decisions get made in silos, and strategy turns into horse-trading. &nbsp;- Everyone optimises for their patch instead of the whole business. &nbsp;- Consistency slips, execution fragments, and trust quietly erodes. &nbsp;- There is not one source of truth, each leader has their own agenda sending an inconsistent and disjointed message to the business.Patrick Lencioni calls this the first team mindset. When leaders see their peers as their true team, trade-offs get surfaced, decisions stick, and alignment cascades.INSEAD research backs this up - many leadership teams don’t even agree on who’s in the team. No wonder competing agendas dominate.And trust? That’s the glue. Without it, leaders avoid tough conversations or play for approval. With it, collaboration replaces rivalry and resources flow where they’re needed.But here’s the kicker: alignment isn’t built in a single off-site. It’s sustained through daily habits, peer coaching, open dashboards, and deliberately investing in the leadership team as a team.So let me ask you: Do your see your peers as your first team… or your competition?Because building a stronger leadership team isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s the foundation of effective strategy and culture. And once you’ve nailed it at the top table, you’re far better equipped to set up your second team for success.<figure id="figure-jb7hij3mrhmi3w9u4n"><img id="jb7hij3mrhmi3w9u4n" src="https://cdn.durable.co/getty/37Z0lh4TCmtqfxwZcVwdfIawOYiw40OdlO3X95i1kvZcA1cDEmXedUtMLJxz0aoF.jpeg" alt="A diverse group of professionals in a modern office celebrates success with a high-five" title="A diverse group of professionals in a modern office celebrates success with a high-five" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/getty/37Z0lh4TCmtqfxwZcVwdfIawOYiw40OdlO3X95i1kvZcA1cDEmXedUtMLJxz0aoF.jpeg" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: center center;"></figure>Engage with this post on LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rebecca-reti-4582433b_whose-team-are-you-really-on-i-asked-activity-7368790307158548480-l0Nd?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop&amp;rcm=ACoAAAhmYsQBKppHDyfPTxqHXXgP5MmXRjB7WJs" data-mce-href="https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rebecca-reti-4582433b_whose-team-are-you-really-on-i-asked-activity-7368790307158548480-l0Nd?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop&amp;rcm=ACoAAAhmYsQBKppHDyfPTxqHXXgP5MmXRjB7WJs">https://www.linkedin.com/posts/rebecca-reti-4582433b_whose-team-are-you-really-on-i-asked-activity-7368790307158548480-l0Nd?utm_source=share&amp;utm_medium=member_desktop&amp;rcm=ACoAAAhmYsQBKppHDyfPTxqHXXgP5MmXRjB7WJs</a>&nbsp; Written by Rebecca Reti, Strategy &amp; Execution Consultant at Rebecca Reti Consulting.

Strategy Execution by Design Series: First Team

Rebecca Reti Consulting

Rebecca Reti Consulting is a boutique strategy execution consultancy based in Brisbane, working with CEOs, boards, and executive teams across Australia and New Zealand. We help leaders build the conditions for effective execution through four service areas: Strategy and Planning, Execution and Delivery, Leadership and Culture, and Training Programs. Our proprietary Strategy Execution by Design (SEBD) framework bridges the gap between strategic intent and measurable outcomes.

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Strategy Execution by Design Series: Active leadership in...

Strategy Execution by Design Series: First Team