How to get your team on?the?same?page (+ PDF)

Hi friends,

Sometimes just getting your team to work together can feel like a HUGE struggle. 

As a leader, when that happens…

…Do you ever wonder what you could be doing better?

I recently facilitated a workshop that really highlighted the importance of strategic alignment, and it was fantastic. It made me really want to share some insights you might find useful, so let me go ahead and dive right in.

Let’s start by talking about what strategic alignment really means.

What Does Strategic Alignment Look Like?

To me, “strategic alignment” means making sure everyone in your team is working towards the same vision and goals. 

It’s more than being on the same page, in my eyes.

It’s being on the same page and being all in. 

Strategically aligned teams have a common strategic perspective. They are:

• Completely committed to their shared success
• More effective at collaborating, and
• Quicker and more inclined to trust one another.

They perform better, feel better, and as a result, they can achieve better outcomes. 

Now for the important part: how can you help them achieve this?

Three Tips To Help Your Team Achieve Strategic Alignment 

Strategic alignment is more than being on the same page—it's being on the same page and being all in. 

If you want your team to be aligned, you need to start with the basics:

1. A shared vision, and
2. Common goals. 

Why?

Because teams that clearly agree on a collective “why” are far more likely to take ownership of those goals. They go the extra mile and show accountability, and come up with creative plans to achieve those goals. 

When they’re faced with obstacles, they persevere even harder.

All these things make them even more likely to succeed.

At Time To Grow Global, we believe the ideal conditions for team alignment stem from “inclusive strategizing”—where a team not only agrees on its strategy but formulates it together, planning its approach as one from the ground up.

As a leader, here’s what you can do to incorporate some of our inclusive strategizing techniques in your own team, helping them create a shared vision and goals.

1. Involve your team in defining its vision

If you typically adopt a top-down approach of communicating or “selling” your ideas to others, try involving them in that process instead. By getting everyone on board in defining a shared vision and goals, you can get them more committed to their strategy. In short:

• Champion collaboration and teamwork 
• Create opportunities for team members to work together, and 
• Encourage them to share their knowledge and expertise. 

The more participative your approach to strategizing, the more trust and alignment you encourage within your team.

2. Communicate clearly and regularly

Setting goals is just the beginning. Once your vision and goals have been decided on, you and your teammates should be communicating them—clearly, regularly, and using a whole range of different channels and formats. 

By keeping your shared vision top of mind, you can collectively ensure everyone understands what they need to do to contribute to it.

3. Set common goals and objectives

Align your targets and actionables with your common vision. Brainstorm your path forward together, and decide on the metrics and indicators you will use to track progress towards those goals. 

A common understanding of what success looks like isn’t just helpful for identifying how far you’ve come; it also helps you refine your strategy and collectively celebrate your wins! 

Try It Yourself

Do these sound like tips your team could implement? 

Then it’s time to try them out for yourself ??

As this week’s Time To Grow Global 20th Anniversary Giveaway, I've created a PDF worksheet to help you define your shared vision, the most important first step of getting strategically aligned.

Click the image below to download it and get everyone working towards the same goal:

Use this exercise to assist you in leading others toward a clear, compelling, and collective vision statement. This statement will guide their actions and decisions and serve as a foundation for future planning and execution.

Sign up here to receive more of these free worksheets in your inbox.

If you have any questions or comments, just send me a DM here on LinkedIn. If you’d like to chat more about any questions it raises, I’m happy to respond personally and help you out!

— Govert

P.S. Here's a direct link to the worksheet ?? Creating a Unified Vision for the Future