How Technical Leaders Master Strategic Execution: The ACT Method
I’ve been helping technical experts develop into leadership roles for over 20 years.
First, I helped to develop myself from a technician taking measurements for engineers to a Chief Innovation Officer, accountable for defining and implementing a multi-million dollar innovation portfolio.
Then, I helped key members of my team take on leadership roles.
Now, over the past three years, I’ve coached over 150 scientists and engineers across a wide range of industries.
There are patterns to the challenges that technical experts face as we ascend into higher levels of leadership.
Do any of these sound familiar to you?
1. Unclear Project Direction: Struggling to define clear goals or next steps for a technical initiative, leading to wasted time and resources.
2. Lack of Team Alignment: Difficulty in getting team members or stakeholders on the same page, especially if you don’t have direct authority over them, causing miscommunication and conflicting priorities.
3. Stalled Career Growth: Feeling overlooked for promotions or leadership roles due to an inability to demonstrate strategic thinking or comfort with ambiguity.
4. Ineffective Problem Solving: Constantly reacting to issues rather than anticipating them, resulting in inefficient solutions and frustration.
5. Poor Stakeholder Buy-In: Failing to effectively communicate progress and plans to senior management or key partners, leading to missed opportunities for support and resources.
While the challenges take on their own unique flavor depending on the leader involved and their specific situation, from my birds eye view, they have the same root cause: failures of execution.
As you transition from an individual contributor to a recognized leader—or if you’re already leading and aiming for higher levels of influence—your ability to lead becomes less about deploying advanced technical expertise or implementing good project management.
Your ability to lead becomes solely about driving the right outcomes consistently and strategically.
In other words, it’s all about execution.
If you are ready to finally overcome these hurdles and adopt a structured method that aligns your actions with your ambitions, keep reading.
In this newsletter you will learn:
- The Three-Step ACT Execution Method.
- Best Practices For Implementing The ACT Execution Method in Any Situation.
- 6 Examples Of The ACT Execution Method in Action.
The Three-Step ACT Execution Method.
I developed the 3-step ACT Execution Method to provide a clear, structured methodology to successfully execute leadership initiatives quickly and consistently.
Below is a description of each step and why it’s important.
A = Assess.
The first step is to assess the current status of your initiative. What’s the situation now, and where do you want to go? This step provides clarity, giving you a solid understanding of your goals and any barriers to achieving them.
There are several advantages to implementing the Assess step.
- Clear Direction and Focus: By thoroughly assessing the current status and defining goals, the team has a clear understanding of where they are and where they need to go. This eliminates guesswork and ensures everyone is aligned toward the same objectives.
- Informed Decision Making: A well-conducted assessment allows leaders to make decisions based on data and facts rather than assumptions. This improves the likelihood of choosing the right strategies and allocating resources effectively.
- Early Problem Detection: Identifying potential obstacles or gaps early on allows the team to address issues before they become critical. This proactive approach minimizes risks and prevents costly setbacks.
- Prioritization of Resources: With a clear understanding of the current condition, leaders can prioritize resources—whether time, budget, or personnel—toward the areas that will have the most impact, optimizing overall efficiency.
By contrast, when you jump into planning and doing without a clear assessment, several issues can arise.
- Wasted Resources: Time, money, and effort may be spent on unnecessary or low- priority tasks because there is no clear assessment of what’s actually needed.
- Misaligned Goals: The team may pursue objectives that don’t align with the organization’s overall vision, leading to efforts that don’t produce meaningful results.
- Overlooking Critical Gaps: Failure to assess may mean that key obstacles—like skill gaps, technology limitations, or resource constraints—go unnoticed until they become major roadblocks.
- Lack of Focus: Without clear goals, the team may struggle to prioritize tasks, leading to confusion and inefficient progress.
C = Close Gaps.
Once you know where you are and where you want to be, it’s time to Close the Gaps. This involves defining an action plan to bridge the current condition with the target condition. Whether it’s acquiring new skills and resources or building a stronger team, the process of closing gaps transforms potential into progress. Without this step, you may have a vision but no path to execute it.
Closing gaps leads to positive outcomes in several areas.
- Structured Path to Progress: Having a clear action plan bridges the gap between the current state and the target condition. This provides a roadmap that keeps the team focused on tasks that directly contribute to achieving their goals.
- Improved Team Efficiency: By defining specific steps and assigning tasks based on expertise, leaders enhance productivity. Team members understand their roles, timelines, and expectations, leading to a more cohesive and motivated team.
- Achievable Milestones: Breaking down complex goals into smaller, manageable steps makes progress more tangible. As each milestone is reached, the team builds momentum, which boosts morale and confidence.
- Enhanced Problem-Solving: When leaders actively plan to close gaps, they create opportunities to anticipate challenges and develop contingency strategies. This builds resilience and adaptability into the project.
If you don’t put a clear plan in place to close gaps the following challenges can arise.
- Stagnation: The project may stall or fail to progress because the team lacks a clear roadmap for how to move forward.
- Unrealistic Expectations: Without a solid plan, goals may be set without regard to what’s realistically achievable given current resources or constraints.
- Poor Execution: The team might work hard but in the wrong direction, as there is no clear guidance on what needs to be done, by whom, and by when.
- Burnout: Team members may become overworked or overwhelmed because tasks and priorities aren’t clearly defined, leading to inefficiencies and morale issues.
T = Tell.
Finally, communication is key. Tell your stakeholders about your goals, your plan, and your outcomes in a way that resonates with them. Whether it’s your team, your funding partners, or other departments, clearly articulating your progress and vision is what inspires support, ensures alignment, and ultimately drives success. Failure to tell the right story at the right time can leave even the best plans unrealized.
- Increased Stakeholder Buy-In: Clear and effective communication builds trust and secures support from key stakeholders—whether that’s senior management, investors, or team members. When everyone understands the vision and progress, they’re more likely to remain engaged and supportive.
- Alignment and Accountability: Regular communication helps align the team and stakeholders on goals, progress, and expectations. This prevents miscommunication and fosters a shared sense of accountability.
- Better Access to Resources: When leaders communicate progress effectively, they are more likely to attract necessary resources, such as funding, partnerships, or additional talent. This can accelerate the initiative’s success.
- Reputation Enhancement: Telling the story of success—whether it’s internally within the organization or externally to clients or investors—enhances the leader’s credibility. This helps build a positive reputation for the team and the organization, positioning them for future opportunities.
Failing to communicate the plan, goals, and outcomes effectively can lead to several dire consequences.
- Loss of Stakeholder Support: Key stakeholders (e.g., senior management, funders, or collaborators) may lose confidence in the project if they aren’t kept informed or don’t understand its value.
- Missed Opportunities: Without effective communication, opportunities for collaboration, funding, or partnerships may be missed because stakeholders are unaware of progress or key successes.
- Team Misalignment: The internal team might become disengaged or misaligned if they don’t understand the overarching goals or how their individual efforts contribute to success.
- Inability to Pivot: When the action plan or outcomes aren’t communicated regularly, it becomes harder to make adjustments or pivot based on new information, leading to rigid and outdated plans.
The steps in the ACT Method—Assess, Close Gaps, and Tell—are interdependent, and skipping any one of them undermines the overall process.
Without a proper assessment, the team lacks direction, making any action plan unfocused and any communication plan frustrating and confusing to the audience.
Even with a clear assessment and good communication, without a detailed plan to close gaps, the project stalls, and progress is limited.
Without effective communication, stakeholders remain uninformed or disengaged, leading to a lack of support and coordination despite good assessment and planning.
See below for a chart showing how execution fails without integration.
Now that you understand each step in the ACT Method, let’s talk about how to implement each step.
Best Practices For Implementing The ACT Method In Any Situation.
Here’s a three-level Good, Better, Best scale for implementing each of the three steps in the ACT Method, designed to be broadly applicable to technical leaders across various disciplines.
This scale provides a simple guide to progressively stronger approaches for each step, allowing leaders to tailor their methods to the level of complexity, resources, and outcomes desired for their initiatives.
6 Examples Of The ACT Method In Action.
Here’s how a leader can utilize the ACT Method in each of the three examples, along with the likely positive outcomes:
Example #1: Individual Contributor Technical Expert Leading an IT Project
Utilizing the ACT Method
- Assess: The technical expert starts by gathering information on the project requirements, stakeholder expectations, and potential challenges. They engage with team members to understand current capabilities and any skills gaps.
- Close Gaps: They develop a detailed action plan, outlining specific tasks, timelines, and responsibilities. The plan incorporates necessary training or resource allocation to address identified gaps.
- Tell: The leader communicates the project plan to all stakeholders, providing regular updates on progress and encouraging feedback to ensure alignment and engagement.
Positive Outcome
The technical expert transitions smoothly into the leadership role, gaining respect from team members and stakeholders. The project is executed efficiently, fostering collaboration and innovation. As a result, the leader enhances their credibility and positions themselves for future leadership opportunities.
Example #2: Manager Interviewing for a New Role in a Different Division
Utilizing the ACT Method:
- Assess: The manager conducts a self-assessment of their skills and experiences relevant to the new role. They also research the new division’s goals, challenges, and culture to understand how their backgrounds align.
- Close Gaps: They identify any gaps in skills or knowledge that need to be addressed before the interview, such as industry-specific knowledge. The manager creates a plan to gain insights, perhaps through networking or online courses.
- Tell: In the interview, the manager effectively communicates their relevant experiences and how they can contribute to the division’s goals, using a narrative that aligns with the division’s strategic vision.
Positive Outcomes:
The manager enters the interview confidently, equipped with a clear understanding of their fit for the role. Their well-prepared presentation resonates with interviewers, increasing their chances of securing the position. Successful transition into the new role enhances their career trajectory and visibility within the organization.
Example #3: Executive Needing to Make a Strategic Pivot Due to the Rising Cost of Raw Materials.
Utilizing the ACT Method:
- Assess: The executive evaluates the impact of rising raw material costs on current strategies, assessing financial implications, market conditions, and competitive positioning. They gather input from relevant departments to understand the broader context.
- Close Gaps: They formulate a strategic action plan that outlines potential alternatives, resource reallocations, and timelines for implementing the pivot. This includes identifying risks and contingency plans.
- Tell: The executive presents the new strategy to the board, articulating the rationale behind the pivot and addressing potential concerns. They emphasize the long-term benefits and engage board members in discussions to foster buy-in.
Positive Outcomes:
By effectively leading the strategic pivot, the executive demonstrates adaptability and foresight, enhancing their reputation as a proactive leader. Gaining board support for the new strategy not only stabilizes the organization but also positions the executive as a visionary leader capable of navigating challenges, paving the way for future leadership opportunities and strategic initiatives.
3 Bonus Examples of the ACT Method in Action.
As I’ve said before, I believe that one of the easiest ways that you can gain more fulfillment in your life is to take the tools and strategies that make you successful at work and apply them to your personal life.
In that spirit, here are three examples of using the ACT Method at home.
Personal Life Example #1: Pursuing a New Fitness Goal
Utilizing the ACT Method:
- Assess: The leader evaluates their current fitness level, identifying strengths and weaknesses. They set specific fitness goals, such as running a 5K or improving strength.
- Close Gaps: They create a structured workout plan that includes specific exercises, schedules, and resources (like workout apps or classes) to address their weaknesses and support their goals.
- Tell: The leader shares their fitness goals with friends or family for accountability and encouragement. They update them on progress and seek feedback to stay motivated.
Positive Outcomes:
By applying the ACT Method, the leader develops a clear plan and accountability, leading to improved fitness and overall health. Sharing their journey also fosters a supportive community, enhancing motivation and commitment.
Personal Life Example #2: Learning a New Skill or Hobby
Utilizing the ACT Method:
- Assess: The leader assesses their interests and current skill level in the new hobby, such as playing a musical instrument or learning a new language. They set specific, achievable goals for what they want to learn or accomplish.
- Close Gaps: They research resources such as classes, online tutorials, or books, and create a learning schedule that outlines regular practice sessions and milestones to track progress.
- Tell: The leader shares their learning journey with friends or on social media, providing updates on their progress and inviting support or collaboration.
Positive Outcomes:
Using the ACT Method helps the leader stay focused and organized in their pursuit of the new skill, leading to tangible improvements and personal satisfaction. Engaging with others also creates a sense of community and motivation, enriching the learning experience.
Personal Life Example #3: Managing Work-Life Balance
Utilizing the ACT Method:
- Assess: The leader reflects on their current work-life balance, identifying areas where work encroaches on personal time. They assess their commitments and prioritize what is most important to them.
- Close Gaps: They develop a plan to create boundaries, such as setting specific work hours, scheduling personal time, and delegating tasks when possible. They also include activities that promote relaxation and well-being.
- Tell: The leader communicates their new boundaries to colleagues, family, and friends, ensuring that everyone understands their commitment to maintaining balance. They seek feedback and support from their network.
Positive Outcomes:
By applying the ACT Method, the leader achieves a healthier work-life balance, reducing stress and increasing overall satisfaction. Clear communication fosters understanding and respect among colleagues and loved ones, contributing to better relationships and a more fulfilling personal life.
TL;DR:
Many aspiring technical leaders face common challenges that, at their core, are indicators of execution failures. Whether it’s struggling to align a team, stalling in decision-making, or missing key milestones, these issues all stem from an inability to effectively translate strategy into action. The ACT Execution Method helps leaders consistently drive results by defining three essential steps for transforming ideas into outcomes:
- Assess: Understand your current situation and define clear goals to focus efforts.
- Close Gaps: Create a detailed action plan that bridges where you are now to where you want to be.
- Tell: Communicate your plan and progress to stakeholders in a way that builds buy-in and ensures alignment.
Skipping any of these steps can lead to misalignment, stagnation, or missed opportunities. Mastering all three steps ensures clear direction, steady progress, and strong stakeholder support—key factors for leadership success and career growth.