Regardless of the size of a company, the role of the CEO is essentially the same:

Set the vision for the company and ensure that vision is execute d.

The first part tends to be a lot easier than the second.

Anyone in a company leadership role can declare what they’d like to see and dream big, but the execution is the hard part.

Particularly if you’re the CEO, figuring out exactly how to execute a strategy can be among the most challenging parts of your job.

However, there are ways to ensure that once you have a winning plan in place it actually comes to fruition. Here’s how to make it happen.

1. Communicate and align

CEOs need to begin with clearly communicating their objectives, which should be driven by the company’s values and vision.

Having clear goals with a comprehensive list of business objectives creates guidelines that become the foundation for business planning and growth.

All employee work should align with company objectives and the CEO’s vision for the company.

Having conversations with leadership and managers about how employee work translates into the company’s goals should be prioritized and take place on a weekly basis.

2. Drive accountability

The CEO should be the first to create goals and then share those goals with the rest of the company.

The CEO should be responsible for showing how the day-to-day work of each employee impacts the success of the company.

That sharing of goals at the CEO level should inspire employees to share their goals and work with each other.

When a CEO knows what all teams are working on and how each team is being held accountable for their goals and their action plans, it will be easier to quantify vision and strategy.

Research by the Franklin Covey Group across hundreds of organizations revealed that the bigger the number of goals a CEO attempts to set and achieve, the less likely they will be achieved.