It is all about performance.
Leaders are being asked to do more with less, faster - and they cannot afford to miss the mark.
If you are not getting the most out of what you have, think organizational alignment. If you believe that you are headed in the right direction, but current performance is not where you want it to be, think organizational alignment.
Getting aligned means configuring the critical elements of your company to optimize short- and long-term performance. Based upon our proprietary alignment research, we know that misaligned strategy, culture and talent cause poor short-term performance and unsustainable long-term organizational health in terms of revenue, profits, customer satisfaction and retention, employee engagement, leadership effectiveness and business performance.
So, as a leader, how do you get aligned? It all starts (but does not end) with strategic clarity.
First, good leaders start by creating a strategy that outlines clear and compelling choices about where to play and what actions to take. Done right, a successful strategic plan sets a company up to perform beyond just the sum of its parts.
When it comes to performance however, strategy is only the beginning, not the end. For a strategy to make a true difference, it must be properly executed. To be properly executed it must be understood, believable and implementable enough by all key stakeholders. That is not an easy or simple task.
- IBM found that less than 10% of well formulated strategies are effectively executed.
- 49% of executives recently surveyed by Booz & Company said their companies had no strategic priorities.
- Employees we surveyed perceived that the organizational strategy was 50% less clear to them than it was to leadership.
What we hear over and over again from leaders is that their finely crafted strategic plan is not being implemented at the quality or speed that they expect. When leaders dig deeper, they find that the strategy is not clear enough, not agreed to, not perceived to be equal to the challenge, or not supported by adequate resources to truly succeed. What moves should a leader make to bring their strategy to life?
Initially, we recommend that you, your leadership team, and their direct reports look for these five strategic clarity warning signs.
- People consistently ask for more clarifying information before they act
- Key constituents do not agree on major priorities, resources, funding, or timing
- People do not believe it is equal to the challenge of your business objectives
- The plan is not being executed consistently throughout the organization
- People do not seem to have the right mindset to effectively execute the plan
If you are experiencing any of these five warning signs, it is time for you and your leadership team to take the steps necessary to get all key stakeholders on board and pointed in the same direction before pushing ahead.
Read Organizational Alignment Whitepaper to Learn What Comes After Strategic Clarity
Research Strategic Clarity Solutions
Measure Your Current Level of Strategic Clarity
About LSA Global
Founded in 1995, LSA Global is a leading performance consulting and training firm that helps high growth technology, services, and life-science companies create a competitive advantage by powerfully aligning their culture and talent with their strategy. Learn more about getting aligned
