Bridging the gap between Strategy and Results requires examination of the health and alignment of your top leadership team. On your executive team, you will have a range of experiences, backgrounds, skills, habits, attitudes, beliefs, personalities and problem solving capabilities. There is power in understanding and leveraging these differences to help bridge the large gap between strategy and results.

A healthy executive team is aligned with the company priorities. Alignment signifies that they understand the similarities and differences and can work with each other to achieve the organizations objectives.

No two people are completely alike.  Even identical twins have their differences. I don’t have to do everything the exact same way my co-worker does, however, if I understand his methods I can work simultaneously with him or her to achieve the final desired result.

Is your executive team comfortable with conflict?  Are they able to engage in constructive debates and participate without fear of retribution, recrimination or belittling?

Good things will often come from a healthy discussion of different ideas, strategies and tools to obtain objectives.  Open and reflective debate amongst your executive team should be encouraged.

Be careful…. Dominating personalities have a tendency to undermine alignment. Who dominates your Executive team meetings?  “No one” (including you) should be the correct answer.  In the real world, you always have one or two team members that tend to dominate the conversation with ill effects.  As such, you have to practice and create a habit of everyone actively participating, debating, listening, disagreeing, discussing, exploring, and understanding.  And, finally fully supporting decisions made.

Get into the habit of supporting a culture of healthy alignment and constructive debate.  Is your organization capable of bridging the gap between strategy and results? 

Contact SeeMetrics Partners to find out.