Wayne Nelsen:
Is your company culture off its tracks? That’s never an easy fix. Here’s a solution I’m willing to bet not many have tried.
“To right an organization headed for trouble, leaders need to build a culture that supports strategy implementation.” This, according to Rick Torben, senior international change management leader.
He further shares, “It may be values, a strong vision, or just a set of shared emotions, but rallying around culture has the inherent ability to get teams back on track and keep them there.”
Nearly 45% of CEOs, Senior Executives, and Business Owners tell us that the most difficult challenge they face is aligning their culture with the implementation of their strategy. (Boardview ’16)
And understandably so, as culture and strategy are inextricably linked and when applied evenly against key business objectives, have the ability to create superior performance and results.
Every leadership team wants the results from this relationship, but are they willing to do what it takes to make it happen?
To effectively align culture and strategy, leaders must establish “guard rails” that keep their foundational elements; mission, vision, values, and annual key initiatives in focus. Doing this makes them accessible to their teams at all times.
Think about building a foundation to which team members can relate as they struggle to contribute to the organization’s success. Ground your teams in what matters the most (beliefs and values) and use it to define success for the business. The rest will follow.
Once the team understands their “why,” it becomes easier to implement strategy. To do this effectively, every team member must have primary job responsibilities, goals, and tasks that are well-written and tie back to those key company initiatives.
The people on your team require consistent direction and oversight to work well together and know how to get the needed results. This needs to become cultural, fully embedded daily in what they do.
When your teams can maintain a consistent focus, aligning culture and strategy, sit back and watch your organization’s achievement soar.
When this happens, you’ll clearly know what culture is and how to keep it intact.
Follow