Postcard #2 it's better to be aligned.

All rights reserved PeopleFirm LLC 2014

How to build a high-performing organization in the 21st century.


Your leaders and/or CEO lock themselves in a room and hash out a strategy. The new strategy is presented

with great fanfare: “Voila! Here’s the strategy – now get going!”

Without further clarification, some of your people exhibit signs of disagreement, and seem to resist getting to work...

Frustrated that the new strategy isn’t being effectively implemented, leaders gather again (and again) to address the issues they see - without even imagining there’s a bigger issue at play.

… while others seem confused about what they need to do - and struggle to work efficiently as a result.

Others are excited and get to work immediately, but lacking clear and consistent guidance they wear themselves out with lots of activity, and end up with limited results.


Many organizations create great

strategies in the privacy of the corner

office or corporate boardroom, with

little thought or planning about how to

get everyone on board and moving in

the right direction.

The end result? Only two employees

out of ten are fully productive - the

rest are not totally aligned to the

organization’s strategy, or mobilized

against the right objectives and goals.

Source: Corporate Executives Board, Confronting the Six Enemies of Post Recession Performance, 2010


.

If you talk about your mission, vision, and strategy in the same old blah, blah corporate speak,

people frankly won’t remember it. But if you capture (and embody) a compelling vision of the future, one that connects with the hearts and minds of your people – then they’ll get behind

it.

Well-stated and inspiring

strategies help teams understand the “what” so

they can figure out the

“how” themselves.

We like Starbucks’ mission:

“to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person,

one cup, and one

neighborhood at a time”.

It’s an evocative image -

plus tangible ideas about how to achieve it - in (dare

we say it?) just one ‘shot’.


There’s no ‘ifs, ands, or

buts’: to operate in the high performance zone, your

leaders must be aligned and

committed to your strategy.

Sure, they may not all start

in the same place, but the alignment process is the

perfect time for different

perspectives to be surfaced, discussed, and resolved. In

the end, you need an

aligned leadership team that’s personally committed

to a shared vision of the

future and a strategy for execution.

“Our CEO’s strategy is fine and all, but I think we

should do bla bla bla instead.”


It’s not enough that your leaders commit to a compelling vision and a shared strategy. How

they share it matters. To ensure success, invest in a great communications strategy. Prepare leaders, ensure consistency, and help them customize the message for their business teams. It’s also vital that you

make sure everyone shares the same

definition of key

words and concepts. For example: don’t

just say ‘apples’. If

you mean Granny Smith be sure you

spell it out - or some

of your leaders may think you mean Red

Delicious.

How our Washington apple company ended up planting

orchards in Antarctica.


Yes, communicating clearly and consistently is vital; when done well that communication will create

real understanding. But your goal is not just to share – it’s to ensure your leaders and employees understand the strategy and how they personally support it! Remember, you’re providing the what,

with enough clarity so that your people can make great decisions on the how!

Here’s a tip: throughout the year, check for knowledge and understanding.

Remember, when employees get behind the shared purpose, engagement soars.


Seems like this should be fairly straight-forward, right? Yet so many companies struggle

with misaligned goals and activity overload. Help your teams get focused on the correct future through shared goals that support the strategic mission.

Tip: Measure and

reward leaders and employees on

results that support

the goals of the organization.

Remember the old

adage, what gets measured gets

done!

“…needless to say, all of our employees are 100% committed to

our mission of growing the best apples in the world. Now, here’s Bob, who’s our employee

of the year because of his really hard work pioneering new breeds of oranges.”


you paint a compelling vision your leaders are aligned and committed you communicate with one voice it’s understood – by everyone group and individual goals are aligned


• Understand your starting place

• Capture the current thinking and ideas

• Engage a targeted group in the conversation

• Test what you’ve heard – their words, not yours

• Analyze where you have alignment and where you don’t

• Develop key strategic themes

• Share the results of the alignment testing

• Drive alignment across your strategic themes through healthy leader discussion and debate

• Communicate and engage everyone in your aligned strategy

• Advance your alignment through action planning

• Keep the conversation going – don’t stop after the announcement


Tune in next month for PART 3: How to transform

your culture to create the environment where your

strategy (and your people) will thrive.

Postcard #2 it's better to be aligned.

Business

Transcript of Postcard #2 it's better to be aligned.