When I wrote Euro University of Bahrain’s five-year strategic plan, that was the easy part. Knowing what you want to achieve is one thing. Assembling the teams and making it happen is something else entirely.

I quickly realised that culture is critical to delivering strategy operationally. Culture should be viewed as your company’s operating system—the platform used to get things done.

Companies are the sum of their people and it’s essential everyone understands the big picture, how 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 fit in and how 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 contribute.

A plan is not a wishful thought or mere hope.

I took inspiration from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, specifically Habit 2: Start with the end in mind. I wrote our strategic plan backwards. I imagined what we could look like in five years. Then I designed KPIs to track progress towards that vision.

Next, I worked backwards again, defining the small steps, tasks and strategic objectives that would bring us closer to the vision.

Middle managers play a vital role in operationalising the plan. They translate the strategy into day-to-day actions but often get bogged down in process or simply working long hours. The myth that long hours equal good work is common but wrong. What matters is focusing on the right work.

Everyone needs to know their strategic goals, their day-to-day priorities and how their success will be measured. Communication must happen at the right frequency. Quick check-ins daily keep teams aligned. Weekly meetings review progress. Monthly sessions link work back to strategy and allow course corrections.

Line management is different from general communication. It’s about supporting individuals, helping them prioritise, clearing obstacles and developing skills. Good line managers turn broad strategy into practical steps for their teams.

Creating a culture where everyone feels empowered to act proactively is equally important. When we all have the agency to get things done and improve processes bit by bit, delivery becomes a shared responsibility. This ownership drives steady progress instead of bursts of last-minute effort.

Finally, I’ve found the 1% principle invaluable. Small improvements made consistently over time add up to big change. Delivering strategy requires steady progress, day after day.

Delivering a strategy requires more than a plan. It needs a culture focused on outcomes, clear communication, strong line management and a commitment to continuous, proactive improvement.

The 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 you help build, the 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 you provide and the 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 you encourage will determine our collective success.