What makes a leader a great leader? Followers. But to have followers, leaders must get everyone to the point where they understand the organization’s vision and goals and they are committed to being part of accomplishing those goals. In other words, leaders must build alignment. This means everyone on the team is on the same page and is working in sync to accomplish the organization’s goals.
Why is Organizational Alignment Important?
When a team is aligned, everyone is focused and working towards the same goals. Alignment also inspires an emotional connection to the desired outcomes, which is necessary to maintain long-term motivation.
In many situations, failure to achieve goals is caused more by a lack of alignment than by the strength of the vision or the efficiency of execution. “Without alignment, the context that team members are operating in is quite likely to be distinct—different. Each team member will produce actions and accomplishments consistent with the context they are operating from,” writes Andrea Bednar, CEO of PoP Associates and a leadership coach with over 20 years of experience.
For a team to be successful, alignment is important because:
• It sets the stage by proposing a plan for effective implementation. Everybody understands their responsibilities and their deliverables.
• It provides a forum for questions and concerns. A two-way dialogue will bring out insightful perspectives that can deepen those of the leader. It will also make members of your team feel heard. By giving them the space for dialogue, you show them that their voice and opinions matter. This will invariably cause them to have a sense of ownership, ensuring their commitment to the goals and sustaining long-term motivation.
• It brings people together and generates excitement for the vision.
Three Steps Towards Organizational Alignment
So how can you ensure your team is aligned? There are three drivers for building alignment: communicating with clarity, encouraging dialogue, and inspiring others.
Communicating with Clarity
Explain the rationale—Don’t assume people understand the reasoning behind “why we’re focusing on a particular goal.” Effective communicators explain the reasoning behind their ideas.
Liz Guthridge, a leadership coach who has studied neuroscience, believes that explaining the “why” will accomplish three things:
- The team will be motivated to pay attention and understand the vision.
- It will help them in connecting the abstract idea to tangible steps that can be taken toward goal realization.
- It will help them make a connection between organizational values and their own beliefs.
Structure and organize your message—Creating an outline for your talking points will help you stay on topic and keep from straying from the most important information you want to share with your team.
For example, during the pandemic, inconsistent messages on safety measures received by employees of Trader Joe’s, a retail grocery chain, confused employees. Also, adherence to those safety protocols was not uniformly enforced across its different branches. “At various times, Trader Joe’s has said employees are required to wear masks and gloves. But individual stores have adopted different protocols, and some of the chain’s messages have confused employees.” reports the New York Times.
Structured and organized communication not only makes your message clear but also allows information to be easily repeated.
Encouraging Dialogue
The second driver of building alignment is having a dialogue with your team. Dialogue is a two-way communication, allowing people to ask questions and share their thoughts. Even if a decision has already been made, giving people an opportunity to chime in creates an environment that will inspire them to engage and align with the vision. You can set the stage for open dialogue by giving people an opportunity to exchange perspectives and by being receptive to their questions, thoughts, and ideas.
Exchanging Perspectives—Dialogue creates an avenue for you to gain invaluable insights from your team as you exchange perspectives. When people know that their contributions matter, they will be willing to go the extra mile to make things happen.
To make sure you give people a chance to be heard, be deliberate about encouraging dialogue. Create opportunities for people to ask questions, exchange perspectives, and identify any concerns by holding a Town Hall meeting or scheduling other small group meetings for people to ask questions. When people feel heard, they are more likely to be aligned with the vision or goal.
Being Receptive—Stay open when ideas or concerns are expressed—don’t be dismissive. Being receptive to their input will make them feel comfortable contributing to the conversation. It will also help you identify potential problems or disconnections.
Inspiring Others
The third critical element of building alignment is to inspire your team. Leaders who can inspire others by painting an exciting future, projecting confidence, and sharing their passion are likely to be successful in gaining and maintaining buy-in. To inspire others and keep them motivated, you need to be expressive and encouraging.
Being Expressive—by conveying your thoughts and feelings, you’ll be able to reach people on an emotional level. Share your passion and your excitement about the work that is being done. This helps people see the meaning behind their tasks, plus your enthusiasm will be contagious!
Be Encouraging—everyone needs a little encouragement now and then. Be sure to offer your support and appreciation for the work that is being done, and your team will feel good about the work they are doing and the goal they are aiming for.
Keeping Your Team Aligned
Organizational Alignment is a dynamic, ongoing process. You will need to continuously monitor the conditions and needs of your team, and then realign as necessary.
In what ways are you building alignment with your team or organization?
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