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It’s all about alignment…

When I meet business owners for the first time, they usually tell me that their business is suffering from difficulties with “marketing”, “process issues” or sometimes even “our staff”.  However, when I spend time with them, it is usually abundantly clear to all that what they thought was the major issue was not the entire answer. 

”For every complex problem there is a simple solution. And it's always wrong” - H.L. Mencken

As humans, it comforts us to simplify complexity but in business this can lead you down the wrong track, creating unnecessary change, costing valuable cash and, even worse, not resolving the underlying issues.  I find the answer usually lies in a number of areas and, particularly, their relationship with the overarching business strategy.

The best businesses, regardless of size, have a clear business strategy, which sets out a direction and focus of the company – ideally described in words of one syllable.  Critically, this strategy needs then to be aligned and in sync with all the supporting organisational structures and processes, including sales, marketing, IT, operations, procurement, finance, HR, customer service, staff training, everything….

What do you mean by Alignment?  

Easily said but what does it really mean? When a company is aligned you know, for instance:

- Your marketing resource can describe exactly who the target customers are, and how they can engage with them.

- Your staff have clear roles and responsibilities which allow them to fulfil the company objectives - and they know where they are adding value

- Operational processes flow seamlessly making the customer experience a positive one

- Cashflow supports the natural rhythm of the business

- Improvements in business performance tend to come through incremental change in all areas rather than dramatic changes…. 

So is your business aligned? For more information on how to get your business “in sync”, contact [email protected]