To be an effective leader do you need to be able to define and execute a strategy?  Or is it enough to be a to just define or just execute?

My own research leads to the conclusion that it depends.  Ultimately what matters most is a leaders self awareness.  They know their own strengths and weaknesses intimently.

Strategy and execution are both required to succeed.  The leader needs to be able to assess gaps in strategy or execution, they do not have to personally resolve these gaps.

Work Smarter, not Harder

Achieving results through the path of least resistance is less effort.  Typically this means lower cost, faster turn around and often higher quality.

Strategies define what and how.  If the how is based on the underlying philosophy that easy is better, the strategy is better positioned to be implemented.

Innovation is a term widely used and often associated with a variety of interpretations.  To a large degree innovation relies on simplicity.   Why spend a lot of effort to achieve results if there is an easier way.

Of course the innovative approach can refer not only to the methodology but also to the result itself.  The key is that the innovative outcome, though possibly visually or tactically different, is functionally the same.

Outcomes

While strategy and execution are critical processes to enable the achievement of goals it is the actual outcome that gets measured and remembered.

The leaders focus is not on their ability to think strategically or act with a high level of operational effectiveness but rather to facilitate these practices in order to enable the achievement of the desired outcomes.