Growth Business Tip Tuesday 🚀 Leadership

Building a Comprehensive Strategy for Team Alignment and Success in the Workplace

Jeff Rogers, CPMBC
Jeff Rogers, CPMBC
Building a Comprehensive Strategy for Team Alignment and Success in the Workplace

Leading any organization of any size can be a difficult endeavor. Leadership in itself is subject to interpretation and variance by its very nature, but only if we allow it, and that becomes a choice. 

I have written much on leadership style and bedrock principles.  I have learned along the way and often speak to the idea:  business systems do the heavy lifting and leaders lead people. I believe that to be very true. I am also very big on systems and accountability. 

Below is my idea of what can happen when you lead with systems. It’s funny how people behave when they can visualize and get behind your vision. 

Alignment Tools & Meetings

Below you will find a list of Alignment Tools.  These are materials that help ensure everyone is working towards the same goals and objectives.

Strategic Alignment:  Big Picture Planning

Vision, Mission, Values

  • Who you are / Where you are going
  • How you are going to get there
  • Company guidelines to empower decision making
  • Used as a tool (so much it becomes embedded in the company DNA)

5-Year Goal

  • Think big
  • Specific picture
  • Belief

3-Year Goal

  • Aligned with 5-year goal / Guidepost
  • Specific
  • Belief

Annual Solid Intention (1-Year Goal)

  • Valuable, attainable, measurable, committed to memory, burning desire
  • Guidepost goals
  • The game/Goal (keep score, post the score, share the win)
  • Teach team how to win
  • Used to prioritize issues list

Knowing Your Customer / Competition

  • Define your target market
  • Competitive differentiators

Tactical Alignment:  In-the-weeds Implementation

90-Day Rocks

  • Path toward solid intention
  • Priorities listing
  • Reviewed / Modified at executive team meetings

Weekly Action Plans

  • From the executive team meeting notes
  • Results are a must / Exceptions require early notice and reasons
  • Communicated to team via executive team member representative

Executive Team / Executive Team Meetings

  • Department “Leaders” (own the process and results)
  • Weekly meetings / Monthly meetings / Quarterly 90-day plan reviews
  • Prioritize issues list
  • Action steps assigned to individuals / Accountable for completion
  • Written notes / Executive team binders
  • Leadership training

Issues List

  • Comprehensive listing of every issue standing between where you are and where you want to be
  • Prioritized
  • Reviewed / Strategized at monthly executive team meetings

 

Team Alignment:  the Right People in the Right Positions

Accountability Chart – Sales, Operations, Administration, Integrator, Visionary (only one name per box)

  • Includes specific areas of responsibility
  • Used for accountability / Action steps assignment
  • Flat as practical
  • Used for Communication (between executive team and the team, and from the team to the executive team)
  • Appeals to integrator (who uses discretion)

(More than) Job Descriptions

  • Must be aligned with vision, mission, values
  • They have to “get it”
  • They have to “want it”
  • They have to have the “capacity”
  • No square pegs in round holes

Systems (for all major functions)

  • Documented
  • Trained
  • Accountability
  • SOP Development (continuous improvement)

Motivation:  Making Progress Towards a Common Goal

CEO Briefings – Monthly Letter to the Team (and all stakeholders)

  • Report on executive team initiatives
  • Introduce new team members
  • Reinforce the vision, mission, values (highlight specific achievements)
  • Updates on the game/Goal (the score, what we are doing well, what we can do better to help us win)
  • SOP Training (monthly tip)

The Great Bullpen – Monthly Team Meeting

  • After-hours / Food provided
  • Compare behavior (actions) to vision, mission, values; when not congruent, agree to change the statements or the behavior (no head-shakes; total candor)
  • Our current condition / Where are we at right now?
  • Leadership briefing
  • Leadership training / SOP training / Team-building exercise
  • Game/Goal update
  • Awards

Sharing of Success:

Share in team success stories and thank you statements among team members

Apply the tools and Align Your Team Today!

There you have it!  This is a very comprehensive outline you can use for success in your company.  If you would like guidance and assistance implementing a more robust culture of leadership experience, check out the tools and resources we have available or our offerings for business leaders.  

I bet you can!
Jeff