Strategy, smategy…Strategic alignment is the secret sauce
I feel you, Executive leaders. You did all the “things.” You had the executive offsite. Your team put the plan together. The finance team did the math and made the numbers work. You wowed the board. You (and your team) DID IT! So now all you have to do is make sure the business crushes its 2024 goals. EASY PEASY, amiright?
Having an inspiring vision and a strategic plan is critical for a good leader, but too often, executives I work with invest all their energy and time into a killer strategy and then take a hands-off approach once the plan is in place. GREAT leaders know that’s just the beginning. A plan is only as good as the team who makes it come to life.
In today’s business climate “crushing it” goes beyond just sales and profit. You are competing for the best talent. Your business must have a great culture. Winning is a complicated art and science of creating a sustainable future for your brand - one that can hold up to any type of economy. This requires more than just a few powerpoint slides and a company memo. To win, you must gain access to the willpower, hearts and minds of your people.
Your Q1 priority is making sure the entire team is informed and aligned to execute the strategy. No strategic alignment means little-to-no chance of organizational success. Strategic alignment creates collaborative effort. Collaboration builds positive momentum. Positive momentum is freakin unstoppable. How do you do it?
Here’s 4 not-so-easy-but-doable steps:
STEP ONE: DISSEMINATE
First things first, sketch out the big metrics. WHAT GETS MEASURED GETS DONE! Let's say you want to increase sales. (Who doesn’t?) How about ramping up your marketing efforts in key markets, opening a new location (or maybe a few), capitalizing on customer holidays, and improving those internal sales metrics like guest satisfaction? You know your business, what are the big rocks that everyone can rally around? Tee up that Town Hall and share the high-level plan.
STEP TWO: COLLABORATE
Now here's the fun part - get everyone involved! Bring in your key stakeholders and ask them to ideate and plan how to make these goals happen. Put some parameters in place such as “ideas need to vibe with company culture” and “you have a budget of x.”
Here’s an example. Let’s say you’re opening a new unit and you want the team to figure out how to reduce the cost to open. The plans have been in place for a while so you can’t “undo” the structure. But can you look at fixtures? Are there alternatives to equipment? Can you reduce the cost to train new employees without compromising your quality? Can you spend MORE on training, but reduce post-opening expenses and grow sales from the get-go?
You’ll be blown away by the momentum you can create when you empower your teams to work together to make something better.
After the execs tweak and define the departmental tactics, make sure every employee has a plan with clear direction and measurement laddering up to those 2024 GOALS.
STEP THREE: COMMUNICATE
Get everyone on board and make sure they understand what they need to do to achieve the desired results. Communication is a no-brainer, but you’d be surprised to know that most employees do not know how their work impact the company’s goals. Sure, there’s the big wins like increased sales or company growth. For an employee, though, those wins don’t seem personal. Especially when no one tells them “Thank you” or shows them how they contributed.
Leaders often gloss over the importance of a full year’s communication plan. A rock-solid communication plan must intentionally integrate the company’s goals into employee day-to-day beliefs and behaviors. Employees feel more successful when they feel that what they do makes an impact. A well-designed communication plan makes the goals top of mind, talks the company talk, and teaches employees how to walk the company walk.
STEP 4: DON’T DEVIATE
This is a tough one, because leading a growing business can seem like changing the oil in a plane while it’s taking off on the runway. GREAT leaders know that to win, they must set priorities and allow the team to focus on the execution of the plan. When a leader shifts priorities (and sometimes it is necessary) the team can start to feel de-moralized and frustrated. “But yesterday you said Z was a priority…”
Going back to step three, prepare your team for priority shifts by letting them know up front that it could happen. Then, remove or re-order some of the old priorities. GREAT leaders know that everything can’t be a priority. And, if the team feels uncomfortable asking for help to re-prioritize, you’re dead in the water.
When people start rocking it and achieving amazing things, recognize them! Give them a shoutout, share their success story, and highlight the positive impact they've had on their team and the overall results. If you've shifted priorities, recognize effort! Recognition is a powerful motivator - for the recipient and for those who want to earn recognition.
If you need help with any of these steps give us a shout, especially STEP THREE! At Mercury, we believe people need and want to work in environments with a strong purpose and clear paths to success. In times of growth, it is communication that creates the way forward. Our purpose is to help leaders and teams discover their superpowers and harness them for positive change.
You got this, leaders! Now get out there and crush 2024.
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