Oluwatosin Oguntunde- Blog
- July 19, 2025
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Doing the Right Things: The New Formula for Success in a Noisy, Fast-Moving World
In today’s hyperconnected, hypercompetitive world, success doesn’t necessarily belong to the loudest voice in the room or the person with the fanciest credentials. It belongs to the doers. The executors. The networkers. The fast movers. More specifically, it belongs to those who commit to: These three pillars form a new-world framework for results-driven leadership, entrepreneurship, and impact creation. Let’s unpack them—using hard data, global trends, and economic realities that are shaping success today. 1. Right Actions Over Speeches: Why Talk is Cheap in the Execution Economy We’ve entered the era of the Execution Economy—where outcomes, not intentions, drive value. Talkers are everywhere. Social media has democratized soapboxes. Everyone has an opinion, a podcast, or a Twitter thread. But value is created not by noise—but by action. Real-World Data Economic Cost of Inaction In government and development work, policy paralysis is a classic example of “speech over action.” Nigeria, for instance, has had over 15 national development plans since independence. Yet the country ranked 157th in the UN Human Development Index (2023)—a sign of a disconnect between strategy and tangible action. Case Study: Elon Musk You can hate him or love him, but Musk exemplifies action-oriented leadership. While competitors debated the ethics and feasibility of electric vehicles, he built Tesla. While governments discussed space privatization, he launched SpaceX. As of 2024, Tesla’s market cap hit $760 billion, while most traditional automakers are still trying to scale up their EV lineups. Bottom line? Talk doesn’t move mountains. Actions do. 2. Speedy Execution Over Endless Analysis: The Cost of Waiting Paralysis by analysis is the silent killer of great ideas. The desire to get things “perfect” often slows down initiatives to the point where they miss the window of opportunity. In today’s fast-moving global economy, speed is a competitive advantage, not just a logistical metric. The Numbers Don’t Lie The Agile Advantage The Agile methodology—born out of the software world—is now infiltrating every sector from healthcare to education to finance. Why? Because it promotes rapid iterations over perfection. It’s built on the principle: “Start small, fail fast, learn fast, scale faster.” Organizations that embrace agile principles see: Case Study: COVID-19 Vaccine Rollouts Moderna developed its first mRNA COVID-19 vaccine candidate within 2 days of receiving the virus sequence in January 2020. While others were caught up in lengthy trials, Moderna moved fast, iterated fast, and became a global pharmaceutical powerhouse—reaching $18.5 billion in revenue in 2021, up from $60 million in 2019. Speed literally saved lives—and created massive economic value. Speed = Opportunity The African tech ecosystem shows a similar pattern. Startups like Flutterwave and Paystack didn’t wait for regulatory perfection. They moved fast, created value, and attracted global attention. Flutterwave is now valued at $3 billion, and Paystack was acquired by Stripe for $200 million—because they executed. Conclusion: If you wait until you’re “ready,” someone else will do it faster—and eat your lunch. 3. Building Strategic Networks Over Staying Siloed The lone genius myth is dead. In today’s knowledge economy, networks amplify success. Whether you’re a founder, policymaker, student, or social entrepreneur, your ability to build strategic alliances—not just contacts—can accelerate your progress exponentially. The Data on Networks What Strategic Networking Looks Like Case Study: Y Combinator More than just an accelerator, Y Combinator is a network. A family. A tribe. Its alumni include Dropbox, Airbnb, Stripe, and Reddit. These startups didn’t just raise capital—they plugged into a support system that offered wisdom, mentorship, press connections, and customer access. The result: Global Development Insight Networks are also transforming international development. The UN SDG Partnerships Platform connects thousands of actors across sectors. Research shows that multi-stakeholder partnerships are 33% more successful in reaching development targets than solo actors (UNDP, 2021). Silo is suicide in the age of collaboration. Let’s Zoom Out: The Macroeconomic Implication of Doing the Right Things When we aggregate these principles—action, speed, and collaboration—they don’t just influence personal or organizational growth. They impact national development and global competitiveness. Consider the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index: Meanwhile, African nations struggling with project delays, weak execution cultures, and isolated silos lose up to 40% of potential GDP growth annually (African Development Bank, 2023). The global economy rewards velocity, collaboration, and execution. Period. Final Takeaways: The New Success Trifecta In this age of volatility, the formula for real-world success—whether you’re a leader, a builder, or a changemaker—is deceptively simple but radically effective: Do the Right Things: Principle What It Means Why It Matters Right Actions Move beyond rhetoric. Deliver value. Value is tied to results, not opinions. Speedy Execution Launch, learn, and iterate fast. Speed is the new currency of growth. Strategic Networking Collaborate with purpose. Relationships amplify outcomes. These aren’t “soft skills.” These are survival skills for the modern age. If you’re still caught up in endless brainstorming, talking about your plans, or trying to do it all alone—it’s time to shift gears. Because the world doesn’t wait. Written by Oluwatosin Philip OguntundeThought Leader | Project Manager | Founder, Opportunity Gist References
