It’s become a boardroom cliché to say that “people are our greatest asset.” And yet, when strategy falters – as it so often does – it’s rarely the Gantt Chart that’s blamed.
More often, the finger points vaguely towards ‘execution’. Translation? Somewhere between idea and impact, the people responsible for delivering it weren’t ready, weren’t aligned, or weren’t empowered.
We see this play out repeatedly in our conversations with senior leaders. An M&A process stalls not because it was wrong-headed, but because senior teams weren’t aligned. A digital pivot gets shelved – not because the tech was flawed, but because mid-level leaders didn’t believe in it or couldn’t communicate it. A cost-saving initiative spirals – because no one clarified what to stop doing, or who had the authority to say so.
These aren’t isolated breakdowns. They’re symptoms of a larger truth: people capability is not a side-stream to strategy. It is the multiplier.
At the heart of this gap lies leadership.
Harvard Business Publishing’s latest global study found that 70% of L&D leaders believe their managers lack the behavioural range needed to lead in today’s context. Monash University’s research builds on this: simpler, evidence-led interventions consistently outperform bloated programmes that fail to shift behaviour.
And a February 2025 study by Zafar and colleagues shows the payoff – organisations that invest in structured leadership development build greater resilience and navigate change with more traction.
And yet, in too many organisations, leadership development and HR strategy are still treated as bolt-ons. Budgeted late. Measured lightly. Discussed rarely in commercial terms.
What if we flipped that script?
What if leadership wasn’t a development ‘need’ but a performance lever?
What if HR wasn’t fighting for a seat at the table, but driving the agenda that shapes it?
This isn’t just a rhetorical flourish. It’s a pressing commercial question. Because the next wave of business advantage won’t come from cleverer strategy decks. It will come from whether your leaders and teams can execute the ones you already have.
So as you plan ahead – towards the last quarter of 2025 and beyond – ask yourself:
Where is your strategy vulnerable to behavioural drift?
Where are your people systems helping you win – or holding you back?
And most of all, who in your organisation is responsible for ensuring that your people are truly ready to carry your ambitions?
Over the coming months, we’ll be exploring these questions in depth – alongside clients, peers, and thinkers we respect. Because if we’re serious about performance, we need to get serious about people.
Not just as an asset – but as the engine.
Exigence provides a full suite of evidence-based business coaching solutions, driven by a desire to help individuals and teams to achieve their performance potential. Find out more here or contact us to talk through how we can support you.
