A business can have a clear strategy, strong market opportunities, and talented people, yet still fail to deliver results.
In many cases, the missing link isn’t a flawed plan or lack of resources. It’s something far more powerful: A lack of discipline within the leadership team.
Leadership discipline shapes how consistently priorities are set, communicated, and followed through. It determines whether accountability is actually a lived value or just an occasional talking point. It also sets the tone for how the entire organisation approaches execution.
When that discipline is missing, no amount of effort at other levels will make up for it.
The discipline gap
In my work with mid-market businesses and senior leadership teams, I’ve seen the same patterns play out. Leaders lose focus on the disciplines that keep execution sharp. They:
- Spend too much time “in the weeds” working as technicians instead of thinking strategically.
- Fail to model accountability, allowing poor follow-through to become normalised.
- Underestimate the value of execution discipline, not recognising how much it impacts results.
When this leadership discipline is missing, execution problems become systemic within the organisation. The business falls out of rhythm, priorities get blurred, and progress slows.
Systemic vs. temporary execution problems
It is fair to say that every business slips up occasionally. A missed deadline here, a dropped priority there. These are temporary execution problems which are usually fixed quickly if the team is disciplined enough.
A clear meeting rhythm in your business, measuring of the goals and priorities, ensures execution excellence. Without this, accountability disappears, measuring of goals stops, priorities drift in timeframe, and the continuous loop of communication stops along with the quality and the quantity of communication.
Systemic problems are different. They happen when leadership hasn’t built the right structures for accountability, isn’t tracking meaningful metrics, and isn’t consistent in reinforcing and measuring progress of achieving priorities on time. Doesn’t have accountability in place for each priority. In these businesses, poor execution becomes the norm, and it shows up in the results the company achieves.
Why It matters for profitability
Poor leadership discipline doesn’t just slow progress. It impacts your bottom line too.
When execution is weak, net profit often sits at or below industry averages. And as I often remind leaders, industry average doesn’t mean good. It’s just the middle ground between strong and weak performers.
Disciplined leadership, on the other hand, creates clarity, alignment, and consistent follow-through. This is what protects and grows profit over time.
Discipline drives results
When the leadership team is disciplined, that mindset flows throughout the business. People know what’s expected, priorities are clear, and accountability is normalised.
If execution isn’t where it should be, start by asking:
- Are we leading strategically or getting lost in the weeds?
- Are we modelling the accountability we expect from others?
- Are our priorities and metrics clear and consistently reinforced?
- Are we open to change and new ways of working?
Execution starts at the top. Strengthen leadership discipline, and you strengthen the entire business.
