Execution usually depends on managers who were promoted for technical strength and never developed the disciplines that convert intent into consistent operational results.
The management layer carries most of the weight of execution. It sets expectations, holds standards, allocates attention, and decides what is tolerated. When that layer is underdeveloped, strategy becomes a document the leadership team believes in and the organisation experiences only occasionally.
Developing management capability is not a matter of enthusiasm. It requires clear disciplines: planning, delegation, performance conversations, accountability, and follow-through, supported by leadership that models the same behaviour.
Where those disciplines are built and reinforced, execution becomes ordinary rather than heroic.