A common challenge many CEOs, I am coaching, are currently facing is how to achieve and maintain alignment to the company goals across the business for the whole year. For everyone on your senior leadership team, this job should never end. As CEO, you are the driver, the one person who can have the greatest impact on your team’s focus and alignment throughout the year.
Below are some patterns I’ve seen from CEOs who do this really well.
Share the story
In order for employees to get excited about company goals, they must understand why the goals are what they are. As CEO, it’s your job to tell the story. People remember stories not numbers. If your theme for the year is around customer retention, for example, tell a customer story that really hits home.
Go for clarity.
No plan is complete without clear expectations. For every priority at every level, there should be precise Red Yellow Green success criteria. For example, if your goal is to “Implement a new CRM system,” everyone should be aligned around what is going to be considered success and failure of that goal.
Connect with strategy
The most happy employees understand how their daily work drives the company’s long term strategy. This is true for everyone in the business, no matter how small their role. As CEO, you should constantly share the long term vision and paint a picture for your employees of where the company is going.
Weekly accountability
Team alignment doesn’t end once you have your quarterly plan. An effective weekly meeting rhythm is the glue that keeps everyone aligned as they implement throughout the quarter. Similar to the planning process, there should be a routine, systematic approach to having effective weekly meetings across the business.
Be relentless
Really, be relentless. Be that person who never shuts up about the company’s strategy & implementation plans. Your team should know your priorities because you constantly talk about them. It’s up to you to keep it front and centre of every meeting and discussion.
