The old marketing adage is that people have to hear your message seven times before they remember it. The same concept is applicable to workplace leadership -- the more your goals and values are clearly over-communicated to the team, the closer you’ll be to true organizational alignment.
The truth is, it’s practically impossible to over-communicate in the workplace. Some people are absorbed in a project. Others are multitasking and already on cognitive overload. Others have a different set of values or priorities than you do. For lots of reasons, people may not be receiving the message you’re trying to deliver. So the more you repeat, reiterate, and reinforce your key messages, the better. Just don’t forget that the way you deliver those messages counts, too.
How so? Well, the real key word in that big, bolded statement above is “clearly.” You and your senior management team can improve alignment issues by taking these steps to create clarity and eliminate confusion.
Steps for Improving Organizational Alignment
The aim of these steps is to help employees throughout the company see how their work contributes to a larger purpose, one that unifies the team and creates a sense of belonging.
1. Get clarity on your vision
Vision is the ideal state of the future that you aspire to reach as an organization. It may be so big that getting there won’t happen in our lifetimes. That’s okay. When people see the hope for the future, it infuses meaning and purpose into their work. It inspires them. Inching closer to the vision is gratifying. Getting closer to it is better than doing work that doesn’t incrementally advance toward the vision.
Your vision has to be clear. It needs to be something that others can see themselves in, something they want to work hard for, something that serves the common good. People need to know how their own self-interests will be served by working for this vision, too. To do all that, it has to be crystal clear, consistent, and compelling.
To get clarity, ask yourself “what difference do I want to make?” and “as a company, what impact do we want to have?” Aim high.
2. Cascade the vision
Vision is not the same as goals. Goals should be developed as steps toward the vision. For example, a high school student’s vision might be to become a neurosurgeon. Her goals along the way would be to get a 1400 on SAT, to graduate as valedictorian, to be accepted into a great pre-med program and then into a top medical school, and then to get a good residency and pass the boards. Each of these goals moves her closer and closer to the vision.
Throughout your organization, the vision should have a clear cascade to each division, department, work team, and individual. A widget packager on the assembly line should know how the work he does contributes to achieving the vision.
3. Link the vision to mission, values and strategies
Vision is the ultimate destination. It describes what the company wants to BE in the future. Goals are the milestones along the way. They lead toward the vision, and they also connect to the Mission. The company’s mission is what the company does today, and goals are developed to define that work for individuals. When discussing goals, it’s important to talk about how they get today’s work done AND build for tomorrow.
Many companies also have stated values. These, too, must be linked to the vision. Values describe HOW the work is to be done along the way to achieving the ideal state in the future.
And then there are strategic initiatives, strat plans, and team strategies. Sometimes, these supplant vision in conversations about the future. Strategies, while longer term and bigger picture than goals, still fall short of describing the ultimate vision of what the company wants to be and what the ideal state of the future is. So, like goals, missions, and values, the strategic plans should also be linked to the vision and not used as a replacement for it.
4. Recognize contributions to the vision
People who are emotionally committed to their work apply more discretionary effort to it. Emotional commitment comes, in part, from feeling valued and noticed. When people exert effort and do work that advances the company toward the vision, they should be recognized. When they exemplify the values that represent how the company wants to be, they should also be recognized.
In most workplaces, goal attainment is what gets rewarded and praised. These are missed opportunities to spotlight people who are helping move the organization towards its vision. Whenever possible, link recognition and rewards to the vision.
5. Communicate about work in the context of the vision
In fact, link the vision to everything you do. When you ask someone to attend another meeting, describe what will happen in the meeting that pushes toward the vision. When you need folks to put in some overtime, talk about how their work leads to the vision. Special project? Vision. New assignment? Vision. Attending training? Vision.
The point is not to overuse the vision. It’s to make sure the tasks and assignments do contribute to it. In time, people will see these connections on their own.
6. Make sure all decisions and changes are in service of the vision
The vision should be a beacon in the night. It will guide decision-making, problem-solving, and changes in the organization. It should influence hiring and firing. It ought to be considered in performance management. The vision is the centerpiece, and every time you set the table with something new, it ought to be right there for everyone to see.
Avoid decisions and strategies that are in conflict with the vision. The aspiring doctor, for example, would be getting off course if she also tried to travel around the world during her residency. Your vision is what keeps everything aligned and on track.
7. Communicate… no, OVER-communicate, about the vision
Linking the vision to every initiative, to all the work being done, and to decisions being made will bring it to life. It will inspire people to perform and to stretch themselves. You may feel like you’re overdoing it, but until others have picked up the context and are making these links on their own, you’ll want to continue driving home your message.
Clarity Counts
Patrick Lencione’s model for organizational alignment in The Advantage is a good blueprint to follow. It, too, emphasizes the importance of clarity.
Clarity comes through repetition, simplicity, relevance, and links to other work. Be sure that team members know there aren’t dozens of tasks to do. There’s just one Vision to strive for, and the work is all in service of that vision. There aren’t competing divisions and departments. There’s one unified organization of passionate people all collaborating to reach the Vision.
Unlock the Door to Great Workplace Conversations
Strong managers and inspiring leaders speak with clarity and conviction. They give people a sense of belonging and make work purposeful and meaningful. They cascade everything from the vision that unifies the organization.
Learning to communicate -- and over-communicate -- are key skills included in the Workplace Conversations course. You’ll learn more about alignment and inspiration + other critical skills for supervisors and leaders at every level in this popular program, now available as an e-learning course for individuals.
