Delivers an expert perspective on strategic leadership and decision-making across all organizational levels. Discover practical management insights grounded in Oriol’s proven track record as a C-level executive, bridging the gap between high-level theory and effective corporate execution.
Executive time is limited, which forces us to be extremely selective about the details we bring into the conversation: it’s not about sharing anecdotes, but about using concrete examples to reveal systemic problems. A CEO does not manage isolated cases, but the inefficiencies that create them. That’s where connecting the specific to the broader picture turns a detail into decision-useful information.
So-called passive income is rarely passive in the strictest sense. Behind every automated stream lies a significant investment in design, knowledge, and upfront architecture that allows operational work to be decoupled from recurring revenue. The problem isn’t the model itself, but the mindset the term creates: it can trivialize the effort involved and build unrealistic expectations.
An executive does not decide only when they act: they also decide when they postpone or avoid necessary changes. True leadership demands balancing the short term with future sustainability, even when doing so involves personal friction. Prioritizing comfort or one’s own professional horizon may be understandable, but it puts the organization’s medium and long-term outlook at risk.
Allowing ourselves to make mistakes is a necessary condition for learning. When disciplines are trivialized and intervention occurs without assuming responsibility, decisions are usurped and accountability is diluted. Without real autonomy, and without the right to err, there is no learning, no commitment, and no legitimacy to demand results.
In some organizations, leaders may be abundant, yet those truly responsible for understanding what is happening and why are scarce. Execution is outsourced, and with it, control and learning are lost. Keeping part of execution in-house should allow organizations to develop judgment, make well-founded strategic decisions, and ensure that action becomes the true test of leadership.
Measuring is not about accumulating metrics; it is about making better decisions. In this post, I explain the real difference between KPIs and OKRs, why confusing them ends up burning out teams, and how to use them in a complementary way: KPIs to ensure the health of the business, and OKRs to drive growth and strategy without falling into analysis paralysis.
A master luthier creates exceptional instruments, has strong demand, and even a waiting list, yet his business is limited by his own time. Scaling up means taking risks: investing, hiring, and moving from being solely a craftsman to becoming a manager. The real initial barrier isn’t the market, but a mindset: the vertigo of growth and the challenge of building a professional structure that allows expansion without losing quality.
Moving from strategy to execution is not a problem of ideas or planning, but of alignment. Execution only works when four inseparable vectors come together: clear processes, capable people, sufficient tools and resources, and the right mindset. The absence of any one of them can block or sabotage even the best strategy. Execution is not about demanding more effort, but about creating organizational coherence.