Vertically Strong, Horizontally Not – Why Strategy Fails
We talk a lot about accountability, but real accountability — the kind that delivers outcomes — isn’t individual. It’s collective. And that only works when there’s unity: shared intent, strong relationships, and a clear commitment to working together. That’s what breaks down silos. That’s what drives strategy forward.
Yet what I see time and again is this: teams are strong within their own lanes, but weak across them. Vertically strong, horizontally not.
Senior leadership teams play a critical role here. These are the people who shape and operationalise strategy. They’re also responsible for how it’s communicated, and how it lands across the business. And while some of these forums can feel tokenistic, they shouldn’t be. When done well, they build capability, strengthen relationships, and create alignment across the system.
This is where the One Team mindset really matters. It’s not about being best friends or agreeing on everything. It’s about how we work together between meetings. That’s where trust is built. That’s where real progress happens.
Why This Matters Now
The pressure to deliver has never been greater. Many organisations are in transformation, growth, or consolidation phases — all of which rely on strong execution. And execution doesn’t happen in isolation. It requires coordinated action, clarity, and commitment across the board.
If your senior leadership team isn’t working well together, it’s likely the rest of the system isn’t either. Leadership behaviours trickle down. If leaders work in silos, so will their teams.
The Problem with Working in Isolation
When teams jump into execution mode without engaging the right stakeholders, outcomes are compromised. Deadlines get missed, opportunities get lost, and the same conversations repeat themselves.
Cross-functional collaboration is essential — not just at senior levels, but across every layer of the organisation.
We need more than just top-down leadership. We need leaders to lead across. This is horizontal leadership — the ability to lift your gaze, connect across functions, and make decisions for the greater good of the whole, not just your patch.
Turning Strategy Into Action
Having a strategy is one thing. Delivering it is another.
Execution requires collaboration. Teams need to work across boundaries, navigate interdependencies, and adjust when priorities shift. That’s hard to do without strong relationships, open communication, and shared ownership.
You’ll often need to bring together people who don’t usually work together — working groups, cross-functional teams, subject matter experts — and make sure they have clarity on who’s doing what, where the tensions lie, and how decisions get made.
If execution is stalling, it’s rarely because the strategy is flawed. It’s because the system around it isn’t working.
The Three Levers That Make Strategy Work
If you want to operationalise your strategy, focus on these three:
Alignment – Clear direction and shared ownership. Everyone knows what we’re aiming for, why it matters, and how their work contributes.
Collaboration – How we work together across teams and functions. Relationships, communication, problem-solving, and mutual respect all sit here.
Accountability – Clarity of roles, follow-through, and a shared commitment to outcomes.
When these three are working together, teams move faster, make better decisions, and deliver stronger outcomes.
P.S. If you’d like to create an accountability culture within your organisation, here are some ways we can work together:
Workshops for your whole team on individual accountability.
Leadership development training focused on holding others accountable and creating a culture of accountability.
Keynote on the Art of Accountability.
Read thriving Leaders: Learn the Skills to Lead Confidently, you can purchase it here.
If you’d like to chat, please book some time in my calendar.
