The goal of every leadership team is to achieve alignment. Organizations that are truly aligned have created so much clarity that there is little room for confusion, disorder, and infighting.
How can an organization achieve alignment? I’m glad you asked! Here are five steps every organization can take:
- Make sure everyone understands their position and how they will create the greatest value for the company.
The leadership team builds the organizational structure that defines where the company is going. They also define the accountabilities for every position within the structure—think of it as “if the seat could talk.” They ensure every team member understands the lane in which they are best suited to swim and how they will create the greatest value for the organization. - Create the organizational culture that delivers consistent outcomes.
Leadership teams who invest the time to discover the organization’s personality will create alignment within the organization. And that’s when a leadership team can surround themselves with people who will drive greatness in the organization. - Create the habit of measuring organizational health weekly.
Accountable team members appreciate numbers because they create an esprit de corps with everyone pitching in to ensure organizational results. Another way to think of this is to practice Pearson’s Law: “When performance is measured, performance improves. When performance is measured and reported back, the rate of improvement accelerates.” - Create consistency throughout the organization.
Develop your organization’s playbook, your “way of doing business,” and help every team member follow the playbook. This will ensure your organization functions uniformly and delivers the desired outcomes. - Understand the role of leadership.
Leadership teams must understand why they are in a position of leadership. Patrick Lencioni makes this point perfectly on page 105 of his book, The Motive: “We can talk all day about what we’re supposed to do, but if we don’t understand why we’re leading in the first place, none of it will make sense.”
Aligned organizations have the courage to look into every corner of the organization and flush out the elephants in the room, identify the internal teams that do not play well together, and look for the enhancements they can make.
Are you interested in learning more about how to achieve alignment in your organization? If so, let’s talk about it over the phone. You can schedule a time with me using the consult form below. When all parts of your organization align with the whole, magical things happen. Let’s outline a plan that helps you get it done.
