Do you have a strategy problem, or an alignment problem?

If you approached three different members from your organisaiton and asked them “what is our company strategy to win in our market?” – how similar to you expect their answers to be? Most organisations I work with have a strategy in motion. How well it’s been captured, communicated and shared will determine how it influences behaviour. 

If that strategy has been documented somehow, it is likely to have been accused of many failures. Being too wordy, not measurable, outdated, unclear. Or there may be a very reasonable strategy in place, but it is only known by the board and executive, therefore not directing the decisions and actions of the collective. 

There is a very important fix at the start of the strategy process; and that is to create a strategy that is simple, clear and memorable. A plan-on-a page that provides clarity on the why, how and what. On the short, medium and long term vision. And presents a balanced, measurable picture of performance. 

That’s a great start, and an important one in gaining alignment. 

But alignment doesn’t just come from a great plan on a page. It goes much deeper than that. 

Alignment happens when you go back to those same three people, or any person in your organisation, and you get a very similar answer to the question: What is our organisation’s strategy to win in our market? 

To find alignment, every person in your organsaiton needs a clear line of sight between what they do, and what the strategy asks. Every person understands how they drive a number – a number that stacks up to KPIs that matter to organisational performance. 

This comes from more than a clear and well communicated plan. It comes from leadership, a culture of trust and transparency, and a genuine interest in helping each person step up to the challenge of growth. 

This is a system. A series of steps and processes that you put in place, that embed within the culture and operational rhythms over time. 

Once you have a strategy system in place, it does the work for you. Building it is the hardest part, like starting a flywheel. But once it’s going, it gains it’s own momentum, driving you forward.

So don’t just work on defining a great strategy.

Work on finding alignment.