Move quickly to get everyone rowing together

In every business, big or small there are moments when great ideas fail, not because they were bad, but because the team were not aligned.

Years ago I worked with a large food retailer (I can’t say who) to increase spend per head inside their petrol station stores.  Every little helps right? 

The concept was solid and the data supported it, but it never got off the ground. 

Why?  The person in charge of pay at pump strategy was focused on reducing time spent in store, not increasing it. Two teams, both measured on different goals, quietly cancelled each other out. 

When I worked in a leading manufacturing business, a colleague developed an incredible system for pubs to serve ice cold beer at the bar without the need for bulky refrigeration cabinets. It was clever and would potentially have saved thousands in energy and space. 

Again it went nowhere. The operations team said it was impractical, and the marketing team who championed the innovation had never brought them into the conversation. What could have been a breakthrough became another good idea that died in a meeting room. 

The same pattern appears again and again in small and medium sized businesses. Lack of alignment wastes time, money and motivation. Teams pull in different directions because they are unclear about the overall goal or are measured by different metrics. The result is often friction, frustration and fatigue. 

Alignment is not about everyone thinking the same way. It is about everyone understanding where the business is going and how their work contributes to getting there. 

Everyone rowing in the same direction, at the same speed.  

When that happens, decisions become clearer, communication improves and energy is focused where it counts. 

Ways to build alignment in your business:

• Start with a clear and shared vision that is simple enough for everyone to repeat

• Create joined up goals so departments are not rewarded for working against each other

• Communicate strategy regularly, not just at annual meetings

• Involve the people who will deliver the change when designing it – ask them

• Encourage honest feedback so conflicts surface early rather than quietly derail progress

• Trust your team to deliver and step aside (yes, you!)

Every business has misalignment to some degree. It’s time to move quickly and be better aligned. 

Do you see it, fix it and feel the benefit?