We are using this space as a means to answer your questions from a recent webinar we hosted on the 10 Ways Fast Companies Accelerate Strategy Execution.
Here is part 3 of our answers to your questions.
Please click here for a recording of the webinar
Question: How do you measure alignment?
This is a tough question to answer without knowing the context. Alignment can be measured in lots of different ways, on macro or micro scales, depending on what you are looking at. If you are talking about organizational alignment, it can be measured with organizational assessments. Regardless of the content or focus of the assessment, alignment can be determined by the extent to which groups answer in the same way. In other words, ask this question: Are there statistical differences between groups in terms of items deemed important to the organization?
Question: Is there any reason you focused on financial and professional services organizations?
EIU sent surveys out to its database of senior leaders, many of whom happen to work in financial and professional services. This is beneficial for us in that several of our client organizations are in these verticals.
Quesion: What could be the impact on the Learning & Development strategy/offering? How should we develop leaders differently to “think and act faster” (according to clarity/unity/agility)?
Well, for starters, there are four main leadership abilities we’ve discovered—and specific behaviors and tactics associated with each one. This blog space is not sufficient for doing them justice. But here is a high level overview of the four abilities:
1) Affirm strategies. This is the first step to take to drive speed, because people need to know where they’re going and need to be motivated to go there. An affirmed strategy is not only correct, it’s also alive—that is, complete, clear, well communicated, and well understood by all stakeholders.
2) Drive Initiatives. This ability involves follow-through. Our research shows that, after affirming the strategy, leaders cannot simply “sponsor” the initiative. Many of the skills that support this leadership ability are project-management skills: unfamiliar territory for many senior leaders, but territory that they need to master.
3) Manage the Climate. Climate is what it feels like to work in a place. Managing climate is a matter of understanding its dimensions and the leadership tactics whose use improves it. If you can change your organization’s climate in positive ways, you will also improve your employees’ motivation and increase speed of execution.
4) Cultivate Experience. Like solar, wind, and water power, experience is everywhere—and it’s rarely captured and put to good use. Many leaders don’t know how to cultivate the experience of their employees and colleagues—how to capture it, make it visible, refine it, and harness it so that it becomes a powerful driver of results.
For a recording of the North America and Europe Webinar, click here
Contact. Connect. Share.