I spoke at a business gathering recently and had a chance to meet an individual on the Board of a large organization. This person has been on more than a dozen public company boards during the past 50 years. I later learned she’s been listening to management complain about issues that haven’t changed in five decades. Yes, the context is different, yet the issues remain.
What were the common issues going back through the 70s, 80s, 90s and 2000s?
This is her list – – – Is any of this familiar to you?
- Business and economic uncertainty and volatility;
- Technology consumes budgets;
- Social and environmental issues;
- Increasing regulatory complexity;
- Stagnant productivity;
- Conflicting priorities and strategies;
- Projects are taking over!
- Leaders are not equipped to manage complex problems.
No matter the sector, this list is representative of current challenges in the workplace.
These are indicators of emerging strategic and operational risks!
Despite this list of issues, what I know to be true is that the organizations that strive to
achieve alignment move the business forward and through these challenges every time.
Alignment is the key to building a business advantage when a new frontier opens.
I reached out to some former clients to confirm how they managed to regain alignment when disruption was all around us.
This is what businesses want to know today . . . .
The Essence of Management
The concept of alignment has been around for decades. It has been proven in hundreds of business cases. Its implementation requires commitment. The unparalleled results that are achieved can be maintained.
While disruption has forged a new frontier for risk – Alignment forges a new frontier for management. It requires a new way to think.
Just ask former CEO of FedEx – Fred Smith.
“Alignment is the essence of management.”
Alignment is to business, what ‘Attitude, Altitude, and Airspeed are to a pilot – if you don’t get it just right, you crash and burn.
Build for Resilience, Agility and Effectiveness
In times of disruption – and let’s face it, we’ve been in ‘disruption’ mode since Henry Ford automated the assembly line – leaders, managers and employees must adapt to moving fast in the right direction.
That takes the right skills, the capacity to do the work and taking the right actions.
There is not much point in being efficient if it results in having to do it again because it didn’t achieve its purpose.
Don’t let the past three years of disruption and fragmentation keep you tied up in knots.
Assess the current state of affairs in your business and ask yourself –
“What are you willing to do differently to prevent more risks to emerge?”
Explore your options for the best approach to align your business intentions, strategies and capabilities.
InfoDesk@uvidi.ca