At April Strategy, we often confront what might be called the 'messy middle' of innovation - the space between what's known and what might be possible. It's a space of ambiguity, contradiction, and competing truths.

After years of supporting clients to accelerate execution, we've observed a consistent pattern: brilliant strategies fail not because the thinking was wrong, but because five critical elements weren't in place before execution began.

We have characterised six leadership competencies needed to drive change – and the greater the change required, the stronger these competencies will need to be;