Strategic Alignment
You have a Vision for your future.
You have a Mission statement about the impact you want to have on the world.
And then it gets a bit fuzzy....
Your day-to-day business feels more like "herding cats" than "ducks in a row." You're not really "showing up" the way you want to - the content you put out, the experience of working with you, aren't quite where you want them to be, and you don't know how to fix it. Your days are filled with busywork that doesn't really move the needle.
What is Strategic Alignment?
Strategic alignment is the process of aligning your values/culture/priorities with your vision, mission, and business goals and strategies, so that
- all of the processes and people involved are focused in the same direction and working towards the same things,
- in a way that exhibits your values/culture/priorities.
A lot of the business rhetoric will tell you that simply having a Vision, Mission, and Values statement in place, alongside your business plan, will magically make this alignment happen.
That's not how it works.
Instead, you need to start by answering three questions:
- What are you* working to achieve?
- What is your* role in the experience of working with you? (e.g., a partner, coach, advisor, guide, supplier, helping hand)
- What is your* (aspirational) personality? (e.g., a sustainability mindset, holistic, proactive)
(* where that "you" might refer to just your specific leadership position, or refer to the umbrella of the company as a whole)
Strategic alignment, then, comes into play by helping you to:
- vet your goals, tactics, and service offerings for alignment with your Vision
- stay focused on your role - over time
- infuse your business processes with those values/priorities and that personality so that they are a part of the perception and experience of working with you, regardless of which human representative someone interacts with or which piece of content they stumble across
This way, achieving your everyday goals not only culminates in achieving your "big picture" business Vision, but you'll do it in a way that you're proud of, that's in alignment with your values and priorities.
That's a big part of getting your business "ducks in a row."
How frequently does strategic alignment have to happen?
With the right foundations in place, new processes are created to be aligned, and so your daily practices are already informed by those foundations.
You'll only really need to revisit the exercises that help you build up the foundations, and perform an audit for (re-)alignment, when:
- you've grown quickly or experimented, and now you're ready to formalize,
- you've decided to pivot your business,
- you're at a cross-roads because things have "stopped working" the way you want them to,
- you've had a change in leadership,
- some external regulation or other constraint prompts you to revisit your priorities, or
- you're ready to grow or scale, and you need to assess whether the approach that brought you to where you are today is the one you need going forward.
Strategic Alignment Services
The Operational Brand Framework
A brand should serve two functions:
- Marketing Asset: to help you "Say it" in the arena of public perception - attracting the right people with a promise they can trust
- Decision-making Tool: to help you consistently "Be it" in your daily operations - from strategic decisions to daily operations
When these two are out of sync, you're not just losing "brand equity," you're losing time, money, and momentum to internal friction.
The Blou Designs approach to overcoming this friction is to define your brand in a way that makes it easy to reference, understand, and apply to daily operations and strategic decision-making.
Learn More about The Operational Brand Framework for solopreneurs, small business owners, board members, and marketing teams
1-to-1 Advisory
This service is for solopreneurs, small business owners, and managers who need strategic guidance they can access on an as-needed basis to help them clarify their vision/goals, evaluate options, and create actionable plans, related to both big-picture strategy and daily operations.
The specifics of what we cover are chosen by you, based on what you're working on and trying to achieve in your business.
- Clarify - We'll cut through the complexity so we can get to the heart of what you're trying to achieve, why it matters, and what it might involve.
- Vet - We'll review and revise what you're doing to better align your values, vision, and operations.
- Plan - We'll co-construct strategic game plans - there's no action for the sake of action here! As needed, we'll put in place accountability to keep you on track.
This isn't textbook advice and meaningless exercises. It's tailored feedback and guidance based on your business, your challenges, and your unique vision.
Learn More about 1-to-1 Advisory sessions for solopreneurs, small business owners, and managers
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