One of the most consistent struggles I see with business leaders—regardless of size, industry, or experience—is not in the planning, but in the doing.
You’ve probably felt it too. You’ve sat in meetings, developed strategic plans, talked vision, set lofty goals…
But when the dust settles and the new quarter begins, you’re left wondering: “Why aren’t we getting the results we planned for?”
Let’s tackle this head-on—especially because at our client-only quarterly event on Saturday, June 28th, we’re focusing on exactly this:
The transition from planning and strategy to projects and execution.
Here’s what most people get wrong: they treat 90-day periods like mini strategic planning cycles.
They say things like “In the next 90 days, we plan to…”
But let me ask you—how often do those plans actually get accomplished?
Here’s a distinction worth burning into your leadership mindset:
A plan doesn’t need to be accomplished. It’s a directional idea, it’s future-oriented, and it lives in the land of possibilities.
Strategy, too, is future-paced. It gives clarity on where you’re going, and why—but not how, and definitely not when in practical terms.
Execution, on the other hand, demands detail, ownership, and timelines.
It doesn’t care about what you hope to do—it only responds to what you’re actually committed to doing.
So here’s the switch:
Don’t “plan” the next 90 days.
Project them.
Say: “In the next 90 days, we WILL…”
That’s not a wish. That’s a declaration.
Here’s how you make it happen:
Let’s say something must be completed by September 15th.
You start from that date and back-schedule:
What must be finished the week before?
What must be started a month before?
What actions, conversations, and decisions must happen now?
Before long, you’ve built a project roadmap. Clear steps. Defined owners. Measurable milestones.
But here’s where most people slip up:
They try to map the 90 days by starting from Day 1 and “figuring it out as they go.”
That almost always ends in delusion and disappointment. Because humans simply aren’t built to see 13 weeks ahead in a linear, actionable way—unless they reverse-engineer it.
So here’s your framework:
- 1, 3, and 5 years → Strategy and planning. Think big, dream smart.
- 90 days → Projects and execution. Get clear, get detailed, get it done.
That’s the difference between teams that talk about growth and teams that deliver it.
At our upcoming quarterly, we’ll lock in on this shift. If you’re a client, you’re already in. If you’re not yet working with us, maybe it’s time to ask yourself—is your strategy stuck at the “plan” stage?
Let’s move from “someday” to now.
Because success doesn’t follow a plan.
It follows execution.