The Silent Killer of Strategic Execution
A CEO rolls out a high-stakes initiative, expecting department heads to align their teams and execute flawlessly.
Weeks later, the results are inconsistent, delayed, or worse, completely misaligned with the original vision.
The frustration mounts.
What went wrong?
The issue is rarely the strategy itself.
More often, it’s the failure to set and manage expectations effectively.
Top-level leaders are responsible for more than vision.
They must ensure expectations are not only communicated clearly but also understood, agreed upon, and actively followed up on.
Without this, even the most brilliant strategy gets lost in translation, leading to inefficiencies, missed targets, and leadership burnout.
As Jorge Loebl, founder of Revolving Change, put it:
“Expectations are the fiber that keeps a business going in the same direction. It does not guarantee that you get to the right place, but it guarantees that you all get to the same place.”
So how do top-level leaders ensure alignment and execution without micromanaging?
The Executive Blind Spot That Sabotages Strategy
Many executives believe they’re setting clear expectations.
In reality, they’re issuing instructions.
The distinction is everything.
- Instructions tell someone what to do.
- Expectations define how the work should be done, what standards apply, and what success looks like.
That gap becomes a blind spot.
Jorge said it bluntly during the podcast:
“The fact that you give good instructions does not mean expectations are met. Did you get a commitment on every point of your instruction that the person receiving the instruction was going to fulfill it?”
Without explicit agreement, what you think will happen and what actually happens are often worlds apart.
Case Study: When Broad Vision Meets Broken Execution
A CEO of a fast-scaling company wanted to speed up product releases without sacrificing quality.
They shared this vision during a leadership meeting.
But the details?
They were left to interpretation.
- The engineering team prioritized speed, cutting corners on testing.
- The marketing team delayed campaigns, worried about stability.
- The sales team pre-sold features not yet built.
The result: fractured execution, misaligned priorities, and a product delay that could have been avoided.
Jorge summed it up:
“Most managers just throw things over the wall and hope the outcome is what they wanted. When they finally check, they say, ‘this is not what I wanted.’ Well, that is what the team understood they wanted.”
What was missing? Clear expectations, and confirmation of alignment at every level.
A Proven System to Align Strategy and Execution
To eliminate this kind of breakdown, we use our Discover, Design, Deliver (3‑D) process.
This gives executives a repeatable way to align vision, clarify standards, and reinforce execution.
DISCOVER: Audit the Gaps That Derail Strategy
Before setting expectations, assess your current process.
Ask yourself:
- Do I assume my leaders understand, or do I secure agreement?
- Have I defined what success looks like for each initiative?
- Do my teams feel empowered to seek clarification, or is silence the norm?
Common breakdowns:
- Directives are shared without execution-level clarity.
- Teams define “success” differently.
- Misalignment is only caught at the finish line.
Jorge warned:
“Expectations do not mean just telling people what to do. It means making sure they understand, agree, and are willing to fulfill the expectations within the conditions that have been set.”
Fix it with an Expectation Clarity Audit:
- Review initiatives that went off-course.
- Audit where expectations were missing or misunderstood.
- Ask: do people feel safe admitting they’re unclear?
DESIGN: Set Expectations That Create Executive-Level Clarity
After identifying gaps, structure your expectation-setting process.
Define the five elements:
- Outcome: What is the intended result?
- Process: Are there required methods, tools, or boundaries?
- Priorities: What trade-offs are acceptable?
- Timeline: What are the key milestones?
- Standards: How will success be evaluated?
Best practices for executives:
✔ Get explicit confirmation: “Do you fully understand what’s expected?”
✔ Schedule alignment meetings early, not reactively.
✔ Champion a culture of clarity throughout the organization.
Jorge underscored the importance of follow-through:
“Is my expectation clear, and are you willing to fulfill it under the conditions we set? Until then, I do not have an expectation. I have an instruction and a hope.”
DELIVER: Align Execution Without Micromanaging
Setting expectations is only the beginning.
Reinforcing them without hovering is what drives results at scale.
Long-Term Expectation Mastery Requires:
- Embed it in operations:
- Use structured expectation frameworks in strategic meetings and launches.
- Require alignment confirmation before execution.
- Check in proactively:
- Predictable checkpoints reveal misalignment before it snowballs.
- Follow-ups are leadership, not micromanagement.
- Track what matters:
- Use Expectation Fulfillment KPIs.
- Debrief post-initiative to sharpen future alignment.
- Make clarity a measurable, cultural norm.
Jorge laid it bare:
“If you check in on day four of a five-day project and the team went off-track on day one, by then, the gap is a mile wide. You cannot recover that mile on day four for day five.”
Fix it with an Executive Follow-Up System:
- Require structured updates that tie back to expectations.
- Create executive-level review checkpoints that surface gaps before they damage outcomes.
Why Expectation Mastery Is the Mark of a Strategic Leader
Executives who fail to set and secure clear expectations don’t just create confusion.
They slow momentum, fracture trust, and risk entire initiatives.
But those who master it?
They build alignment into the bones of the business.
They lead teams that know where they’re going, why it matters, and what success looks like—without being told twice.
Ready to Lead with Precision? Here’s What’s Next
Lead with Precision. Align with Impact.
Misalignment isn’t a communication issue. It’s a leadership risk that compounds with scale.
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