Have you ever watched a rowing team in action? Every member of the crew knows exactly where they’re heading to and how they are going to work together to get there. There is a clear plan that each crew member has been part of creating. Each one knows exactly what they need to do, when, to get that boat over the line in the time they’re aiming for. There’s focus, clarity, precision and collaboration. Most of all, there’s alignment. Everyone in that boat is rowing in the same direction, at the same time, to achieve a common goal.
Just as alignment is essential for a crew to get their boat over the line in a regatta, so is it true that alignment is essential to get strategic projects over the line in organisations. Without this alignment, teams across the business are very busy doing a lot of things – launching initiatives, creating campaigns, designing products or deliverables – many of which won’t contribute towards progressing the business towards the ambitions that have been set.
Alignment creates a shared understanding of where you’re going and how you’re going to get there and then creates a unified commitment to this common goal. With this clarity and collaboration, the team is able to execute in a co-ordinated way that uses energy, time, effort and financial resources in a way that maximises progress.
So, if alignment is essential, how do we create it? Here are six ways that alignment can be enhanced in organisations.
1. Effective communication
Effective communication is not just about what we say, it’s also about how we say it, and in which format or forum. When we communicate effectively, it means that the message we want to leave, lands exactly how we intend for it to be interpreted. If there’s room for the receiver to create their own interpretation, you’re probably not communicating as effectively as you could be. When there is consistent effective communication within teams, across teams and across the entire organisation, there’s a common understanding of what’s being done, why it’s being done, who it’s being done by, when it’s being done and how it’s being done. This creates alignment.
2. A culture of trust and collaboration
We often hear of organisations trying to break away from “working in silos”, but there’s no focus on shifting the culture to break-down the “silo-mentality”. Our human nature is to protect and control what is ours. In the workplace, that generally translates into individuals working on what’s good for them and teams working on what’s good for their team. Obviously then, there’s very little room for collaboration, especially collaboration across teams. However, when there is a foundation of trust between individuals and teams, it means that I become more willing to have your back and you’re willing to have mine. It means that even though we have our own seats in that boat, we row each stroke in sync, right to the finish line. That’s alignment.
3. A well-defined strategy
Strategy is the big shifts required to realise your ambition. Ambition is the vision, strategy is how you’re going to get there. The vision is often clear, the strategy is not. When a strategy is well-defined, it allows everyone in the organisation to know where the business is going and how it’s going to get there. It’s easy for a well-defined strategy to be communicated effectively to create a shared understanding across the entire organisation. Everyone is on the same page. Everyone is aligned behind the common goal to get that boat across the finish line.
4. Clearly articulated shorter-term goals
Strategy is meant to be longer-term and directional in nature. But this means that teams often don’t know what to do now and what to do next, so they continue working on business as usual and the organisation doesn’t evolve. To close the gap between strategy and action, strategy needs to be broken down into shorter-term goals that focus on the measurable impact on the business. These goals can then be cascaded into the rest of the organisation, ensuring focus on the most important goals to move the business forward. These cascaded goals create alignment of efforts within teams, across teams and throughout the entire business. We call this the trifecta of alignment.
5. Clear expectations
When there is a well-defined strategy and clearly articulated shorter-term goals that cascade across the entire business, it creates a platform from which very clear expectations can be set. Clear expectations means that each individual knows what their role is in contributing to the shorter-term goals. When individuals know what is expected of them, they are better able to manage their capacity to deliver on what matters most. When individuals are working on what matters most, that means that teams are also working on what matters most. And organisations are made up of teams, so when teams are working on what matters most, organisations are making progress on their strategy. Clear expectations create alignment.
6. Regular review
A rowing crew sits together after every race to analyse how they did – what they did well, what they should change next time, how they should adapt their training plans. So should teams create rhythms that allow for regular reflection and review of not only the strategy, but also the shorter-term goals. These rhythms could be weekly leadership meetings, quarterly resets and annual strategy reviews. These rhythms bring strategic discussions into the daily operations of the business. Progress can be measured, challenges can be identified as they arise, solutions can be brainstormed collaboratively, and successes can be celebrated. These ongoing rhythms create continuous alignment, as there’s an ongoing dialogue that brings everyone onto the same page.
Just as a rowing team relies on alignment to cross the finish line, so too must organisations create ongoing alignment to ensure that their teams are rowing in the same direction towards the same goals. By fostering effective communication, cultivating a culture of trust and collaboration, defining clear strategies and shorter-term goals, setting clear expectations, and creating rhythms of regular review, alignment is enhanced and the entire organisation moves forward, towards that finish line.
If you have questions, we’re always keen for coffee.
Get in touch so that we can brainstorm a few solutions together!
