You're striving to meet business goals. How do you ensure changes align effectively?

One learning from a recent company-wide transformation project where I played a lead role was the importance of effectively understanding the current state. Even the "experts" were surprised by what they learned during cross-functional in-person workshops when we watched live process demos and walked through various business processes. What each thought was happening was not the reality. Only when everyone came together did we truly understand the current state and identify a holistic list of gaps between where we were and where we needed to be. The lesson? Identify the experts, remove distractions, and get the current state right! Without understanding the current state, moving to an ideal future state may be impossible.

In the airline industry, aligning changes effectively to meet business goals involves several strategic steps: 1. Clear Communication of Goals: Ensure that all stakeholders understand the business goals. This includes management, employees, and operational teams. Clear communication helps align efforts toward common objectives. 2. Assessing Impact: Before implementing changes, assess how these changes will affect operations, customer experience, and financial performance. Utilize data analytics to predict outcomes.

The devil is in the detail, once you have a plan set it’s imperative no stone is left unturned. People usually fail because they cut corners or tell themselves it’s ok not to double check said contract…Only the paranoid survive, so if you have a plan, strategy and goal, under no circumstances do you stop till the goal is achieved. No matter what sized company, those disciplines must never be compromised. It’s incredible how many people don’t understand that rule of business.

Ensuring that changes align with business goals starts with a clear understanding of those goals and how each change supports them. Begin by mapping out the specific objectives your business is striving to achieve and then evaluate how proposed changes contribute to those objectives. Regularly review the impact of changes to ensure they’re driving the desired outcomes. If something isn’t working as expected, be ready to pivot or refine your approach. It’s also important to stay flexible and open to feedback, adjusting your plans as needed to keep everything on track.

When it comes to creating a plan, keep it simple. The more simple something is, the easier it is to do, measure, and succeed. Side note: LinkedIn would not allow me to share a simple repsonse to planning. I was forced to write more to meet their minimum standards and maybe this is part of the problem. Sometimes less is more.

Looking back, most issues/problems/challeneges arise because of a lack of clarity. Being clear or getting clear, means pressing PAUSE and confirming we seeing/understanding and/or expriencing things in the same manner. For example, expectations. How many times have you heard, I thought you meant this or I thought you meant that? Pressing PAUSE and making sure we are on the same train means we are more than likely to arrive at the mutaully desired destination. It's simple, but it's not easy.

When it comes to execution, having a plan is critical and the difference that makes a difference is being flexible with your plan. I cannot think of time when everything went exactly to plan. Its like using WAZE or MAPS when traveling. We set our destination, create a plan, and drive (execute). Sometimes, out of nowhere, there is an accident, or unexpected traffic. We either stay on plan, or be open and flexible to alternative ways of reaching our destination. The same goes for business/leadership and life. Have a plan, execute, and be flexible. But always focus on your destination.

Assuming that the goals are achievable and challenging, executives and their teams must focus on efficient execution. The translation of those goals into action plans, operational decisions, and structural decisions is one of the most challenging and important moments. After the definition of those goals, the process of defining an action plan with responsibilities, dates, budgets, and results is a key success factor to make that happen. I have seen in my life that some teams miss this crucial ste and it was a pathway to failure.