I was recently asked by a Board Member of a leading industrial distribution company, “Barry, how do you run the business and ensure execution?”
What I articulated succinctly in that conversation, I wanted to capture in writing. It also felt like a natural follow-up to my recent article on the Five-by-Five Strategy. As a reminder, the Five-by-Five framework defines what matters most. It sets the North Star, aligns the organization, and sharpens strategic priorities. But clarity alone doesn’t create momentum. Execution requires rhythm. Accountability needs structure. And alignment only sticks when reinforced, week after week.
Across every business I’ve led, I’ve implemented a management operating process that not only tracks performance but also shapes it. It turns strategy into motion through three core weekly workstreams that drive execution, accountability, and cross-functional alignment.
These workstreams form the core of a management system that moves from strategy articulation to operational reality. Here’s how it works:
Business Operating Meetings (“Hub” Meetings)
Purpose: Maintain line-of-sight on performance across the business
These weekly core operating sessions keep “all eyes on the business.” They are structured meetings where I, along with functional leaders, review performance across sales, merchandising, supply chain, technology, customer experience, and other areas that tie directly to the P&L.
For example, I participate in a Wednesday Hub meeting called CPM (Category Performance Management). It’s a 60-minute forecast and performance review covering product sales and margins against budget. Led by the SVP of Merchandising, the meeting includes Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, and Finance leaders, along with Directors and Product Managers.
Agenda topics include sales and margin performance to plan, corrective actions and owner accountability, NPI (New Product Introductions), pricing intelligence, inventory trends, and marketing and promotion readiness. These sessions are not about reporting—they are about running the business. We focus on leading indicators, assign actions in real-time, and begin each meeting with a quick status check on prior week follow-ups. Items too complex to resolve live are taken offline, closed, and brought back the following week.
I typically assign three to four different Hub meetings weekly. They provide an enterprise-wide snapshot that feeds into board communications, employee town halls, and departmental updates. When individuals understand how their work connects to company performance, engagement increases.
These meetings are supported by a Chief of Staff or Director of Strategy who ensures agendas stay focused, insights are synthesized, and outcomes are tracked. This turns each meeting into a performance lever—not just a check-in.
Key Initiative Reviews
Purpose: Keep strategic transformation moving forward at pace!
Day-to-day operations keep the business running. But strategic initiatives determine where it’s going. These include digital transformation, inventory optimization, infrastructure investments, CX redesigns, and systems upgrades—the enterprise-level work that powers the Five-by-Five strategy.
Each day, I carve out time to review a select set of strategic initiatives. These reviews are structured around milestone tracking, R/Y/G health status, cross-functional blockers and resolution paths, problem-solving, and where Executive intervention is needed.
This is not project management; it’s strategic governance. As CEO, I intervene where needed, reallocating resources, refining the scope, or adjusting timelines. Without this cadence, transformation efforts risk losing traction to the operational day-to-day. These reviews ensure the future of the business receives the same attention as the present.
One-on-One Leadership Sessions
Purpose: Building trust, listening, and removing roadblocks for my direct reports!
I carve out time each day for structured 1:1s with my direct reports. These sessions go beyond administrative updates; they are strategic leadership meetings. We use this time to check in on how the leader is personally doing, help unblock barriers and address friction points, and discuss succession planning, team dynamics, and development. These conversations provide the human context often missed in team settings. They allow for direct, unfiltered dialogue and build trust. I’ve learned that strong leadership cultures are built weekly through these moments of connection, clarity, and coaching.
Important Sessions that Shape the Workstreams
I. Clawback Actions – Keeping Execution in Motion:
Pro Tip: Never walk into a performance discussion without a recovery plan
If financial performance is off-track, don’t wait for the month to close—and don’t show up empty-handed. We maintain a Clawback Register – a rolling action log of countermeasures tied to revenue, margin, and EBITDA targets.
These actions are reviewed weekly in a working session with the leaders closest to the numbers. This session will present underlying drivers of variances, propose targeted actions, and align on timelines and owners.
We quantify each initiative and build an EBITDA recovery bridge. If we’re ahead of plan, we look for acceleration moves to reinvest. The point is to remain financially agile and avoid strategic drift. When external shocks arise—tariffs, inflation, or policy changes—we use these sessions to size the impact and coordinate a response. This workstream ensures that real-time decision-making drives financial resilience.
II. Board and Associate Communication
Purpose: Communicate powerfully and frequently to recognize and keep score.
A strategy isn’t fully operational until it’s understood.
Each week, I share a concise update with the Board that reflects key metrics, initiative milestones, and risk signals—providing visibility between quarterly meetings. Internally, I communicate through town halls, video updates, and internal messaging that reinforce progress, celebrate wins, and connect individual contributions to enterprise priorities.
We also recognize standout individuals and teams because culture is built through visibility and appreciation. This communication rhythm reinforces alignment, builds credibility, and sustains energy around execution.
III. Key People Supporting the System
Purpose: Sustain the operating flywheel across the organization
Execution requires orchestration. I rely on a Chief of Staff or Director of Strategy to act as the central integrator of the management operating system. This role works in close partnership with business leaders and project sponsors to shape meeting agendas and track follow-ups, manage strategic initiative scorecards, maintain the corporate KPI dashboard, and serve as PMO to the CEO.
The Chief of Staff acts as the steward of rhythm, accountability, and follow-through. Depending on the company scale, this role may be supported by a formal PMO function or a small team of business analysts. Together, they ensure this is not just a set of meetings but a system that produces results.
From Process to Culture
These three weekly workstreams form a closed-loop operating system that drives strategic clarity, agile execution, financial discipline, leadership alignment, and cultural engagement.
In every company I’ve led, this process has become the engine of the business. It creates focus, surfaces issues early, and accelerates innovation. It builds trust among leaders and connects people at all levels to the mission.
Most importantly, it ensures we don’t just write strategy. We run it.