Who's on first?

I have a tip for you. It's simple, but not easy.

When planning, one initiative must have one -- and only one -- person assigned to it.

Why? Think about the following two scenarios.

Situation: A rockstar executive team is walking out of a very productive strategy meeting.

Scenario 1: The Co-Leader Conundrum
Chris and Dawn have been asked to lead the critical X initiative. Now what? And the question is immediately erased and replaced with our next meeting/report/client need, etc.

Scenario 2: One Leader
Chris has been assigned to lead the critical X initiative. He puts it on his priority list and knows it's his responsibility. After his whirlwind of meetings, he texts Dawn to see if she can meet Tuesday to discuss.

Obviously oversimplified, but do you feel the difference?

Lack of role clarity is the most common barrier I see between strategy and execution. It seems crazy that something so simple could make such a big difference, but in my experience it does. Every time.

Do you agree that lack of role clarity gets in the way of getting things done?

What other barriers get in the way of successful execution?