You’re On The Same Team, But Are You Shooting At The Same Net?

As the leader of your organization, how do you measure success? If you asked your staff this question, would they give you the same answer?

Though you don't judge the success of your marketing team with the same metrics you use for finance or HR, it is important to get everyone on your team to measure success in terms of the organization.

How do you get everyone aiming for the same goals so you can get your organization to where it wants to be?

In my experience as a strategic planning facilitator, I’ve found that people are guided by their own interests: the things that bring them success, the things that present challenges for them on a daily basis, and the resources that they need for their functional teams.

Your challenge as a CEO or member of the leadership team is to line up the vision that you have for your company with the work that your people are doing on a daily basis.

“A degree of variation can send you a long ways off on an open ocean”

Here are a few tactics to get your team on the same page:

• Communicate the vision. Ensure everyone in the organization knows where you’re headed and how their position impacts the organization. 
• Set clear priorities. Decide on two to four strategic priorities for your key focus areas for the next quarter or year. Align daily tasks to support these priority areas and make sure everyone knows what they are accountable for and how it will propel the company forward. 
• Communicate. Communicate the vision, communicate the priorities, and foster communication within the teams. If there are challenges or concerns, these can be addressed within a timely manner before they spiral out of control. 

Before your next planning meeting, ask yourself and your leadership team:

Are the goals of the teams in line with the goals of the organization?
Is everyone on the team implementing the same strategy and working on the same priorities?
Is everyone on the team aiming for the same net? 

Alignment is a key part of the strategic planning process, and an aligned team is a more productive and functional team. 

Learn how to develop your strategic plan and align your team with
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