Part 2 of 4: How You Get Things Done: Matching Execution Behavior to the Real Demands of the Role

When business owners evaluate leaders, “execution” is often a catch-all term.

But not all execution looks the same. And not all leaders approach it the same way.

In fact, the difference between success and failure in many executive roles comes down to a simple but often-overlooked question:

What kind of execution behavior does this role actually require?

At Turret Advisory, we help business owners make urgent and strategic talent decisions—often under pressure. Whether you're preparing for a sale, recovering from a failed hire, or rebalancing a leadership team, the pattern is clear: most breakdowns happen when the way a leader gets things done doesn’t match the business’s real-world needs.

The Behavioral Mismatch: Where Execution Breaks Down

Every leader will say they get things done. But what matters is how—and whether that matches the challenge ahead.

Some common mismatches:

• A “results” executor thrives in a hands-on role but struggles to orchestrate others
• A process-driven operator plans meticulously but freezes when priorities shift
• A scrappy improviser takes initiative—but ignores the importance of scale and handoff

These mismatches show up most clearly in:

• Post-sale transitions (new demands, new structure)
• Founder-to-operator shifts (handoff of accountability)
• Growth plateaus (when execution systems must evolve)

The cost? Missed milestones, quiet frustration, poor visibility—and eventually, strategic drift.

That’s why defining the right behavioral type of execution is step one.

The Behavioral Dimension: How You Get Things Done

This category of behavioral skill covers how a leader turns strategy into results. We break it into three execution sub-skills. Each one is distinct, and depending on the role and business stage, one will likely be the X-factor for success over the next 6–12 months.

A) Results & Accountability

This is the ability to drive results by holding both yourself and others accountable to the execution plan.

A high-skill leader in this category:

• Makes clear estimates—deadlines, budgets, deliverables—and aligns the team to them
• When something slips, makes it visible and uses the failure to improve future thinking, not bury it
• Creates conditions for positive peer pressure, where team members feel intrinsically motivated not to let each other down
• Cultivates transparency around progress and setbacks, making accountability a shared norm, not a top-down threat

By contrast, a low-skill leader here tolerates repeated delays with no open discussion of why they happened—and no consequences. This slowly erodes clarity, credibility, and urgency.

This behavior is essential in environments where timelines matter, stakes are visible, and accountability is cultural.

B) Leading Execution

This is about orchestrating larger, more complex operations—where progress happens through others, not through individual effort.

A skilled leader here:

• Delegates effectively, ensuring the right people own the right parts of the plan
• Removes obstacles so others can execute without constant escalation
• Plans the work and works the plan, but also adapts quickly when conditions change
• Prioritizes dynamically, understanding the difference between noise and mission-critical focus

In more mature or scaled environments, this skill expands to include:

• Process optimization—driving measurable improvements through small but strategic changes
• Continuous improvement—the discipline to refine even successful systems for higher throughput or fewer errors

The mark of strength here isn’t just control—it’s the ability to align and empower a team to deliver under changing conditions.

C) Initiative & Resourcefulness

This behavior shows up in messy, under-built, or fast-moving environments.

Here, the high-skill leader:

• Acts without waiting for perfect instructions or conditions
• Identifies what needs to happen—and makes progress without being told
• Finds creative ways to get results when the playbook doesn’t exist or resources are constrained

Examples:

• When no one has set an agenda for a meeting, they jump in and do it
• When they need input, they don’t escalate—they call someone in their network for quick advice
• When faced with constraints, they find workarounds, patch together systems, or make decisions in ambiguity

This is more than just optimism—it’s constructive action in the face of obstacles. These leaders keep the machine moving when others might stall.

How to Use This Lens

If you're hiring, assessing, or redefining a leadership role, ask:

“What kind of execution behavior will be most important in this role over the next 6–12 months?”

Then define the core need:

• Results & Accountability — when deadlines and clarity matter most
• Leading Execution — when teams and complexity need direction and orchestration
• Initiative & Resourcefulness — when the leader must create momentum in imperfect conditions

Once you know what you're solving for, you can structure accountability plans—and talent decisions—with clarity.

Final Thought: Not All Execution Is Equal

Everyone talks about execution.
But execution without alignment to context is just motion.

So when you’re evaluating a leader, the right question isn’t “Can they get things done?” It’s:

“What kind of execution will matter most—and does this leader bring that to the table?”

That’s how high-performance leadership is built.