Let’s talk about building alignment in your business
A well-aligned business is like a well-practiced symphony orchestra. For any piece of music to sound good the strings, wood instruments, percussion, and every other section must do their part. If anyone is playing out of tune or rhythm, the whole symphony suffers and it’s obvious to the listeners that something’s not right.
In business, like in music, you can only fully achieve your purpose when all the parts are working in harmony and with a common and shared intention. Alignment is important. It ensures that your work is flowing smoothly, easily, efficiently, and effectively.
So, how to achieve it? Here are five simple steps to set you on the path to harmony.
Start with an inspiring vision
You need to have a clear purpose that you can consistently articulate and share. With that in place, people know the goals.
They know where they are going and the greater purpose that they are part of.
Make the vision relevant to your team
Help them to understand what’s in it for them and how they can contribute to your purpose and goals in their roles and responsibilities.
Support your people
Give them the tools, the skills, the information, and authority that they need so that they can perform to their very best.
Reward success
Publicly acknowledge and recognise those who demonstrate real alignment and who have gone the extra mile in doing so.
Communication
Communicate, consistently and continually. Be clear and frequent in both what you say and how you say it. Set expectations and make sure that they know what you need them to do and how they should be aligning themselves with the business goals.
Conclusion
Sharing something once doesn’t mean that it’s always understood or that it will be remembered. And even if it is understood, it doesn’t mean it will be acted on. So, consistent communication is essential. Remind your people, in every conversation, of the vision and purpose of the business.
