Alignment – Embrace purpose and transparency, make action irresistible

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04.04.23
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The Future Business Formula is my new book that provides insights into the changing landscape of business and how organisations can adapt to succeed.

In this third blog in our series in the countdown to the book’s release in May, I provide an overview of Chapter 3, titled “Alignment” – offering ways to ensure an organisation is aligned to increase its effectiveness and success.

Principle Three – Alignment

Mercedes-AG Petronas Formula 1 team’s seven consecutive World Championships were made possible by their extraordinary degree of alignment. A clear strategy and powerful team culture meant that everyone in the organisation understood its objectives, worked closely together, and regularly reviewed performance to plot improvements.

Creating alignment is key to high performing teams, but misalignment can occur due to different leadership styles and approaches. Structure and discipline are important in creating alignment, and three key questions can determine whether a team is truly aligned.

  • Does the team have clear objectives?
  • Do they work closely together to achieve those objectives?
  • Do they regularly get together and evaluate their performance?

Leadership teams can become misaligned due to lack of incentives and passive participation. CEOs need to encourage healthy debate and build trust among team members to ensure everyone is committed to the same goals. Without commitment and a shared vision, organisations are likely to fail.

While diversity is important, high performing teams need to be able to switch to collective alignment once a decision has been made because good alignment is a key differentiator in industry and can create a compelling place to work with a common goal and purpose.

Achieving alignment in an organisation requires strategic focus and a strong culture. Leaders must communicate a clear vision, purpose and strategic priorities to remove ambiguity and ensure everyone is working towards meaningful goals. Employees must understand the “why” and “what” of their work, and be empowered to determine the “how”.

Prioritisation is key. Focus on 4-5 strategic priorities and measure them with KPIs to determine the impact on the value you want to create. Identify necessary changes and enablers, then spin up initiatives to deliver them.

And always over-communicate to ensure everyone is on the same page. When achieved, alignment acts as a golden thread that runs through the business, simplifying operations and focusing on what really matters.

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More reading:

Read Principle One: Strategy
Read Principle Two: Customer
Read Principle Four: Leadership
Read Principle Five: Culture
Read Principle Six: Talent
Read Principle Seven: Innovation
Read Principle Eight: Change & Delivery
Read Principle Nine: Simplification
Read Principle Ten: Organisation Design
Read Principle Eleven: Learning
Read Principle Twelve: Measurement
More information on The Future Business Formula

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Written by Adrian Stalham
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