Revenue growth rarely collapses overnight. It erodes quietly—and it can be catastrophic. Business cartoon of executives running the wrong way with the caption: "He hit the ground running but he was going the wrong way." The numbers don’t crater at first. They soften. Forecasts start getting “revisited.” Explanations get longer. Teams work harder. And leadership convinces itself that one more push, one more quarter, one more hire will fix it. Eventually, the board and the CEO

Revenue gaps rarely appear overnight. They form quietly during planning season, when unexamined assumptions get baked into targets and execution is expected to sort it out. This article examines why revenue plans break down and how experienced leaders spot gaps early—before they widen.

Companies with ambitious goals often fail to translate strategy into operational execution, and the consequences show up in unpredictable revenue performance