I am just back from presenting “Scaling Up Your People for Growth” two times last week– one to a startup incubator and once for the Scaling Up Workshop in Niagara on the Lake with established growing companies. (Take a look below for a short summary of the “People” section from the book.)
One of the exercises we used at the workshop was for the owners/ founders to evaluate the “alignment” of their team.
“The leader’s final job is “to keep the main thing the main thing” — to keep the organization on message and everyone heading in the same direction” -Verne Harnish, in his book “Scaling Up,”
Here is a list of questions you can use to evaluate the health and alignment of your team:
- The executive team is “healthy” (no dysfunctional behaviors)
- Everyone is aligned with the #1 thing that needs to be accomplished to move the company forward
- Communication rhythm is established and information moves through the organization accurately and quickly
- Every facet of the organization has a person assigned with accountability for ensuring goals are met
- Ongoing employee input is collected to identify obstacles and opportunities
- Reporting and analysis of Customer Feedback data is as frequent and accurate as financial data
- Core Values and Purpose are “alive” in the organization *
- Employees can accurately articulate the key components of the company’s strategy: Who are our core customers? What is our brand promises? Where does the company sees itself in 5 years? What is the company’s elevator pitch?
- All employees can answer quantitatively whether they had a good day or week [“everyone has a number”]
- The company’s plans and performance are visible to everyone
I am sure you have experienced the challenges when “one hand does not know what the other is doing” — and you know it is not the most effective way to run a team or a business.
–> So take a few minutes to rate your team on the 10 questions above, and see where you need to improve clarity, focus, and alignment for a healthy team and to achieve more success.