When the wheels of a car are not properly aligned, the performance of the car suffers. The driver may experience the following:

• Difficult steering
• Bumpy ride
• Uneven tire wear
• Delay in arriving at the destination

A leader (driver) who is in charge of a team or organization (car) may experience the following with poor alignment:

• Difficulty in leading the team or organization
• Additional obstacles or bumps in the road
• Unplanned use of valuable resources
• Missed target dates

Organizational alignment is when everyone is not only focused and rowing in the same direction, but using the same size paddles and rowing toward exactly the same goal. To achieve such alignment begins with an executable and sustainable strategic plan. Without a plan of who does what by when, achieving strategic alignment becomes even more difficult.

An executable strategic plan begins alignment through visioning and values statements. These two statements help to keep everyone focused on where management sees the organization going and what behaviors will be employed as everyone works together. Then from the research of both external and internals factors, a mission statement is created with specific goals. From these goals, both marketing and sales plans evolve and are all directed toward achieving the mission.

These 3 statements when shared and embraced by everyone keep daily actions directed toward the desired results and increase the daily performance of everyone involved. In other words, these statements lay the foundation for a business culture of high performance. Proper alignment helps to ensure that no one is set up to fail.

Of course, if you would rather drive a hard to steer car over a bumpy rode and spend extra money on gas and tires, that choice is yours. However, if you truly wish to work smarter and not harder, maybe it is time to take an alignment check and make those adjustments where necessary. To begin you may wish to ask yourself this question: When was the last time I read my strategic plan?

P.S. Read the previous article How to Improve the Management Wins for Winning Business Teams Part 5: Identify Real Problems