57 | The power of strategic alignment in driving business success

In the post-pandemic, work-from-home world, it can be especially hard to feel like your small tasks are having any impact on the overall strategic mission of your company. But this is where alignment comes in. The brands who make an investment in ensuring their workforce is in alignment—or on the same page, strategically—can ultimately bring about better cohesion of vision. To be in alignment is for everyone to be working towards the same goal, and to understand that their place matters. And Zora Artis happens to be an expert on alignment. On this episode of the Inspiring Change podcast, Scott talks with Zora Artis about how a concrete grasp of strategic alignment can help everyone in your organization to see the "red thread" that connects all parts of the business. Alignment, Zora says, can help empower even those at the very frontlines to see the value of their day-to-day grind. It gives people the opportunity to buy into the story of the brand, and to own it for themselves. Zora explains the various components of alignment, which include the culture, the structure, and all the things that will cascade and ultimately impact the rollout. But how do you actually do this? Zora says that there are several steps to alignment, but one she digs into is "knowing your enemy." It's ultimately about asking the right questions and figuring out how to connect the dots. The episode concludes with Zora talking about buy-in from the top. She insists that you must have executive buy-in if you want to see alignment really gel. You want to develop a narrative around where you are, where you want to be, and how you're going to get there. Using the storytelling piece connects back to the brand. Make sure everyone knows what the brand is really about. Key Takeaways: - It helps to look for knowledge beyond the area where you're playing. - You need to understand how to create the right business case if you want to get executive buy-in. - Alignment is about getting everyone on the same page. - Go back to your core. Understand why you exist in the first place. - The articulation of your purpose needs to mean something to your people. - It's important to make the comms personal—be a good storyteller. - Perhaps it's the role of everybody to make sure they're aligned.