“An unread book is just a block of paper.” Oft-quoted words from F. Scott Fitzgerald. I often think the same thing about the many unimplemented strategic plans that I’ve seen.

Why are so many plans not put in place? Talent is one issue – according to a recent survey of for-profit and non-profit managers – While AI Is Advancing, Leadership Systems Are Not: Q1 2026 Leadership Quick Poll. Only two-thirds (64%) of executives say their organization has the talent needed to deliver strategy.

The question for most executive teams is how to move from strategy to strategy implementation. We heard how one organization navigated this challenge during the OPEN MINDS Executive Roundtable, …