Speaker 1: Today we're going to talk about strategic alignment in five slides. Hi there, my name is Anthony Taylor. I'm the managing partner at SME Strategy. We help teams, companies, organizations get aligned and clear on where they want to go and what they need to do to get there. Today I want to talk to you about strategic alignment and try to make it as simple as possible as a concept for you and your team to move forward on. So let's go. So what do you need to know about strategic alignment? Step number one is really get aligned on where you're going. Out of most organizations that we work with, we always have a process of actually starting of where we are, but the outcome that we're really trying to get clear on is where are we going. Making sure that we have an aligned destination, that it's clear, that it's not open to interpretation, and that everybody understands what that means if we go there. And the other key part about that is to make sure that everybody on your team is going to the same place. Because if you're not going to the same place, you're going to different places, and it makes life and work very challenging. Now the key part about this, and especially as we go through the strategic planning process and as you lead teams through any sort of change management efforts, is to continuously check, you know, do people still want to go there? Can you see yourself in that change? You know, even over a matter of weeks or a matter of months, people might start straying from where they want to go. So strategic alignment is a process of keeping people focused and keeping people on track towards going to that ideal future. So the next part about strategic alignment is recognizing the environment around the plan. How are you going to get there together? How are you going to work on that? Which includes your culture, so your values and behavior. You know, what do we do? What don't we do around here? So setting that up, making sure that it's specific, articulated, and using it to guide the organization. Also means thinking about your communication structures. How are we going to communicate with one another? How is the flow and transfer of information going to work successfully? You know, what are our expectations and norms around communication and around working with each other? One of the famous models is the Tuckman model, which is, you know, forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. And it's really about setting the baselines and the expectations of how we will work together. Every time I go into a new team, every time I bring somebody else into our team, it's a new team. And setting those expectation, understanding on the front end is going to help make a lot more success on the back end. So moving from that storming, to that norming, to that performing phase as soon as possible. And how you do that is by setting up your culture, your communication, and your expectations of one another. You know, if I raise my voice in a meeting, what does that mean? You know, if I disagree with you, what does that mean? If you disagree with me, what does that mean? If I interject on something, what does that mean? It's not always what we think it is, but if we try to run on assumptions all day long, you're going to spend too much energy. So put it all on the table, get clear, and move on from that. The next part about strategic alignment is what do you need to do? So you've got where you're going, you've got how you're going to get there, now what are the pieces that we need to put in place? And the number one thing we focus on for strategic alignment is prioritization. Okay, how many floors does your building have? Are you focusing on 10 different things, i.e. 10 different floors, or are you focusing on 3 things and your resources are way more focused? Make sure that you're aligned on specific measurable goals. So the idea behind that is, you know, when you play a game, make sure you want to have a scorecard or a scoreboard. If you don't have a scoreboard or if there's no score, you probably aren't going to want to play the game for very long. So make sure that your team is aligned on the outcomes, make sure your team is aligned on the score, make sure your team is aligned on the goals, and you'll be way more successful. And the last piece, and arguably the least important part, is the action planning. What are we going to be doing to get there? If you're aligned on the vision, if you're aligned on the culture, and you're aligned on the goals, everything is going to move forward. And then fundamentally it's, well, what do we need to do next in order to do that? And making sure that everybody has a clear understanding of what needs to be done in what order. So in summary, figure out where you're going, what is that successful vision, you know, if you're going to go further, what is that successful mission, but where you're going, what success looks like. Number two, how are you going to work together, which includes cultures, norms, expectation, and communication. And then what do you need to do in terms of strategic priorities, in terms of goals, and in terms of actions. And if you aren't sure about how to move that forward, be sure to reach out to us for a complimentary consultation. We can walk you through our multiple destination programs, help you get aligned as a team so that you're clear about where you want to go, what you need to do to get there, and we're happy to support you as you move forward. So my name is Anthony Taylor. This has been strategic alignment in five slides. If you enjoyed today's video, be sure to like and subscribe. And if you're looking for some more guidance on how to get your team aligned and in the right place, be sure to reach out to us, smestrategy.net slash contact, and we'd be happy to have a conversation with you and your team. Thanks so much for joining us, and we'll talk to you next time. Thank you.