Connect the dots!!
What’s the first thing that pops into your head when you hear that?
Perhaps you see a series of dots connected by lines that zigzag across a page.
Do you see any gaps between the dots and the lines?
An executive, Dennis, in a medium-sized diversified business, was asked
“How do you connect the dots between the business strategy and the organization’s capabilities?”
He couldn’t answer the question.
The unprecedented level of uncertainty during the previous two years led to nearly everyone struggling to get things done. Capabilities were decimated!
He talked about the sporadic returns to the office, the decreasing employee engagement, the failed attempts at transformation, the delays and insufficient returns on IT projects, the stagnant culture, and the inability to make a difference in moving forward. He was clearly frustrated.
This is a huge burden for any manager and executive!
He felt that people should not be disengaging or leaving their jobs because of management’s inability to return to the way things were.
How he was feeling was difficult to share with anyone, but it was the often-unspoken truth.
This could be a business in any sector.
I understand the pressure on management today and the number of directions they must focus on – if focusing is even possible. Most business leaders struggle to align their company’s resources and capabilities to ever-changing needs.
So, we created a framework that helps them to deal with their pressing issues.
We helped Dennis with a plan that gave him the focus to strengthen his business.
By helping business leaders to understand the workings of the framework and using their current state of alignment, they can achieve measurable change that sticks.
One pharmaceutical company client puts it this way . . .
“Using the Alignment Framework helped us to break down the key influences on our performance. We were able to actively take control of the key gaps in our Strategic and Operational designs and processes. It gave us another window into the awareness to identify and understand vulnerabilities – a full 360 degrees around the performance problem.”
What is it about this framework that’s different?
Think of alignment as though you’re the captain in the cockpit of an airplane aiming to land on a specified runway. The pilot’s main thing is landing safely and arriving at the right gate on time with all passengers at their destination. The pilot is constantly aware of crosswinds, airspeed, rate of descent and other factors that conspire to move him off the perfect course.
To achieve his goal, he must be focused on aligning to the runway on the right glide path.
Business is like that too!
The framework was designed to align strategy, people, processes, systems and the customer and external stakeholders. Through alignment, the business gets what it wants. Growth, profit, reputation and more.
Business wants not only to achieve alignment but stay aligned and responsive – despite changes in the environment and shifts in employee and customer needs.
Those who implement it have an unexpected benefit. They experience a dramatic improvement in identifying new and emerging risks to their business – leveraging their agility to act quickly, despite prevailing uncertainty.
The framework enables business leaders to ‘anticipate’ conditions that affect their ability to execute and effectively manage risk.
Fast forward to today, Dennis has been working with the alignment framework and has his business units aligned. He’s got strategically coherent capabilities that support the company’s growth.
The result – is an engaged team, and Dennis is sleeping better each day.
It’s been twelve months and the atmosphere is different. The culture, performance, and customer connections reflect the company’s purpose and direction. Old signs of fragmentation have turned into teamwork, collaboration and innovative thinking.
Though COVID had an impact, getting the business aligned has provided a path to moving forward and making a difference.
Companies like Dennis’ face similar predicaments and burdens today. Dennis took a meaningful step by starting with a change that involved his team from the outset.
- Are you willing to look at how your alignment may be out of line?
- How can you engage your managers and employees more?
- How can you better connect with customers?
- And mostly, how can you achieve those stretch goals without stressing or burning out?
Let’s discuss how you can effect change through better alignment.
If you want additional information before we talk, learn more about what alignment could mean for your business.
