Morning friend ☕
We’re back on the first 100 days series…
And today we’re talking execution.
Inspired by BA Baracus from the A-Team.
You can hear execution before you see it.
It’s the roar of BA’s prized black van. The clang of his tools.
BA didn’t waste time on words. He got his hands dirty.
He set plans into motion.
He delivered results.
What was his secret?
Grab your coffee ☕
Let’s chat!
Recap: The First 100 Days Series
In the 80’s A-Team series, each member brought a distinct strength.
Faceman charmed and observed. The master of diagnosis.
Hannibal strategized. Turning intel into a clear plan.
BA executed. Cutting through noise and getting it done.
And Murdock? He adapted when things went sideways.
Together, they show the arc of a leader’s first 100 days:
Diagnose. Strategise. Execute. Adapt.
In case you missed them, check out:
Intro: Your First 100 Days
Part 1. Diagnose:Think Like Faceman: Charm Your Way Through the First 30 Days
Part 2. Strategise: Hannibal’s Cigar: Love it When a Strategy Comes Together
Nail your first 100 days, A-Team style.
BA the “Delivery” Manager
Bosco “BA” Baracus was the muscle.
No small talk. No shortcuts. Just results.
Give him a blueprint and he’d hammer it into reality.
Cutting through noise, driving progress, and getting the wheels turning.
Fast. Loud. Relentless.
Plans don’t count unless you execute.
And execution boils down to three moves:
Focus. Discipline. Visible Progress.
1. Focus
In Your First 100 Days, the advice is clear: don’t try to do everything at once.
Execution collapses under the weight of too many priorities.
The Four Dimensions of Execution (4DX) framework advises to “Focus on the Wildly Important Goals.”
BA always knew the lever that mattered most. Cut the chains. Hotwire the engine. Move.
Your move: Narrow down to the “critical few”.
Two or three goals that matter most and will create momentum.
2. Discipline
Execution only thrives when you create routines that hold the line.
The First 100 Days emphasizes building an operating rhythm: meetings, reviews, and cadences that keep the team aligned and focused.
4DX frames this as acting on lead measures and building a cadence of accountability.
BA didn’t wobble when sparks flew. He stayed steady under pressure. That discipline: the grit, rhythm, consistency, is what gets things “over the line”.
Your move:
Build a scoreboard that shows what matters.
Set a rhythm of check-ins to track progress.
Align people and resources so the right skills are applied at the right time.
3. Visible Progress
Execution is more than discipline. It’s about progress and results. You need to show wins.
Your First 100 Days stresses securing early victories. To this end, 4DX says keep a compelling scoreboard.
The point is the same: progress must be visible to your team, your stakeholders, and your boss.
BA never built in secret. He made sparks fly, engines roar, and results impossible to ignore. That visibility built belief in the mission.
Your move: Ship the feature. Solve the problem. Close the deal. Then celebrate it, visibly.
My Top 3 Strategic Priorities at Capitec?
While I can’t give full details for obvious reasons, I can share the high level.
From observation, strategizing, and working with my manager, 3 key areas of immediate focus emerged.
The way we do things has room for tuning.
Collaboration with my key stakeholders could be improved.
There is a key project for the organization that I need to get over the line.
Early wins in all three initiatives will ensure I have an impactful start to my tenure and set me up for long term success in my new role.
And it’s all thanks to the wisdom of Michael Watkins “The First 90 Days”, and Niamh O'Keeffe’s “The First 100 Days”.
Looking Ahead: The Final 10 Days
So far in this series, you’ve seen the first 30 days of observation with Faceman.
Then the next 30 of strategy with Hannibal.
Now you’re in the thick middle: execution with BA.
But what happens when the unexpected hits?
That’s where adaptability takes the wheel.
And who better to embody adaptability than “Howling Mad” Murdock? That’s the final piece of the 100-day journey. Stay tuned.
Closing Shot
BA wasn’t subtle. He didn’t have to be. He was the muscle that turned vision into reality.
Your job when executing on your strategy is:
Focus on the critical few.
Apply Discipline through rhythm and grit.
Show Visible Progress to build credibility.
The ideas in the first 100 days can apply at any time. You can make a pivot in your current role right now…
Let’s hear from you! Drop me an email:
What are your top 3 priorities?
Do you have discipline around them?
How are you measuring progress?
Cheers until next week friend!
Vaugan
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Chess Puzzle
White to play and force mate
Move the pieces and try to solve here.
Next week on www.scarymanagement.com!
I my role at Capitec, I manage multiple teams of developers working on the app.
There’s some complex team dynamics/issues I have observed during my first few months that need to be fixed to improve our performance.
If you manage a team, or are in a team, I’m certain you have seen this too.
Patrick Lencioni calls them the Five Dysfunctions of a Team.
The Avengers were a great case study of this.
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Tune in next week to see how the Avengers fell apart and how they fixed things.
Disclaimer:
This work is satire and commentary on leadership and management. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NBC, Universal, Marvel, Disney or any creators, owners, or performers associated with The A-Team, Avengers or related properties.
“A-Team”®, “Avengers”® and character names are trademarks of their respective owners. References are used nominatively for commentary and educational purposes only.