If your team is “busy” but results feel stuck, you’re likely running the most expensive system in business: hope.
Hope that priorities are understood.
Hope that resources are aimed at the right targets.
Hope that leaders are aligned.
Hope that accountability will “just happen.”
Most small business CEOs don’t have a strategy problem. They have an execution operating system problem. What gets decided in leadership meetings doesn’t reliably translate into coordinated action across functions, levels, and weeks. Priorities multiply, initiatives collide, metrics become noise, and the CEO becomes the default integrator.
There’s a better path: Business Optimization—a practical, repeatable cadence that turns purpose into priorities, priorities into resource decisions, and decisions into measurable execution.
I’m hosting Jimmy Blackmon—retired Army Colonel, Vistage Breakout Speaker of the Year, and Top Performer—for a live CEO session on:
Business Optimization: Strategy, Structure, People, Process, and Technology
Why This, and Why Now?
Most companies don’t need “more hustle.” They need fewer priorities, clearer tradeoffs, and a system that forces alignment—especially in a resource-constrained environment.
Execution breaks down for predictable reasons:
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Strategy isn’t written in a way the organization can run
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Goals are unclear or not understood across the breadth and depth of the company
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Business units optimize locally instead of enterprise-wide
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The wrong things get measured (or measured inconsistently)
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Accountability depends on personality instead of process
Jimmy’s central premise is blunt and true: you will not achieve goals that are not written down, clearly understood across the organization, and comprehensively measured.
What You’ll Learn (and Use Immediately)
This is a working session built for CEOs who want clarity, alignment, and execution—without adding bureaucracy.
Expect practical tools and a CEO-ready framework to:
Turn strategy into execution with OKRs
Learn how to craft Objectives and Key Results that translate strategy into measurable outcomes—so priorities stop competing and execution becomes trackable.
Build a written strategy your company can actually run
Not a slide deck that lives with the leadership team—a clear written strategy designed for dissemination across company ranks.
Set priorities and make real tradeoffs
A method to choose what matters, say no to the rest, and reduce initiative overload.
Allocate resources like a CEO—not a firefighter
Align capital, time, and talent to the priorities that drive results.
Align business units and shared services
Reduce cross-functional friction and rework by creating clear alignment across operating groups.
Measure progress and hold accountability without drama
Install a cadence where progress is visible, ownership is clear, and accountability becomes normal—without micromanagement.
Who This Is For
This session is built for Manhattan CEOs running companies with 25+ employees (often in the $10M–$200M+ range) who want:
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Cleaner execution and fewer competing priorities
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A strategy that employees actually understand and follow
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Better coordination across functions
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Metrics that drive action (not confusion)
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Accountability that scales without exhausting the CEO
If you’re growing, restructuring, integrating, or simply tired of “starting strong and fading,” this session will land.
About Jimmy Blackmon
Jimmy Blackmon is a retired U.S. Army Colonel, speaker, and author. He spent 30 years leading soldiers with six operational deployments (two tours each in the Balkans, Iraq, and Afghanistan).
He served as the air mission commander on the mission that killed Saddam Hussein’s sons (#2 and #3 most wanted during the invasion of Iraq) and was involved in battles in which five Congressional Medals of Honor were earned.
Jimmy is the author of four books and co-author of two albums. He is also a three-time archery world champion and a member of the 1998 U.S. Armed Forces World Cross Country team. His awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, four Bronze Star Medals, four Air Medals, and the General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award.
Within Vistage, he was named 2017 Breakout Speaker of the Year and a Top Performer in 2020 and 2024.
Event Details
Topic: Business Optimization: Strategy, Structure, People, Process, and Technology
Speaker: Jimmy Blackmon
When: Wednesday, January 14, 2026 | 8:30 AM–1:00 PM ET (lunch included)
Where: Manhattan, near Union Square (exact location shared upon RSVP)
Format: Live session + Q&A
Cost: Complimentary for qualified CEOs (lunch included)
Why This Matters to Your Bottom Line
Every unclear priority taxes speed. Every misaligned handoff taxes margin. Every unmeasured goal becomes a “hope strategy.”
This session gives you a mechanism to reduce noise, align resources, and drive measurable execution—so strategy stops being an aspiration and becomes performance.
TL;DR
If your strategy isn’t consistently turning into execution, the fix is not another meeting—it’s an operating system. Business Optimization provides the cadence and tools to set priorities, allocate resources, align the enterprise, measure the right things, and hold accountability.
If you’re a qualified NYC CEO and want to attend as my guest (lunch included), email me at mark.taylor @ VistageChair.com and I’ll share RSVP details and confirm availability.
