“Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.” – Steve Jobs
Alignment happens when a team understands a set of shared objectives or goals and knows what to do to achieve them. Imagine a train. When a train is aligned with its rail tracks, you know that the train will reach its destination no matter what or who is in charge of driving or operating it. But a train out of alignment can be dangerous, even fatal.
As a leader, it is your responsibility to create that alignment. This applies regardless of whether you are in a big corporation, a small business, or a solopreneur managing freelancers. To do that, you need to clearly define your goals, communicate them to your team, and plan out the strategy to achieve them.
As Zig Ziglar said, “A goal properly set is halfway reached.”
For you to be able to define these goals, you must establish the organization’s or business’s purpose—the answer to “Why do we exist?” Everything from core values, to culture, to how your business handles client transactions and interacts with partners and the community, revolves around this WHY.
For me, my main purpose, my mission is to help people achieve their dreams of owning a home and to help them have an easy process of buying real estate. I do that through quality communication; providing a clear understanding of the current state and trends of real estate; and equipping and empowering other agents to help reach more people and serve them in their journey to become homeowners.
All my business strategies and goals are centered around that purpose and mission, and at the very core of it all, I do it by leading with kindness and by setting an example.
And that is the culture I establish and the core principle I empower my team with: lead with kindness by utilizing your skills and talents.
As long as my team and I are aligned on this, no matter what changes or challenges our business faces, whether it is inflation, recession, or rumors of a housing crash, we function efficiently and effectively to combat it.
“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” – Henry Ford
What methods do you use to achieve alignment? By constantly communicating with your team, building that relationship, and fostering a connection and culture of trust. Trust to innovate, build systems, put people first, have social and self-awareness, cultivate resilience, and lead with kindness.
To build a well-oiled machine, you first need to know the parts and where to place them.
And once you've achieved this alignment, once you've realized what your team's common goal is, growth will follow. Growth can take many forms, including personal development, learning a new skill, gaining more clients, expanding your business, and increasing profits. However, you do so in an efficient manner.
It takes a lot of trust and effort to connect and communicate to get there.
“When in doubt, check if your actions are aligned with your purpose.” – Azim Jamal & Brian Tracy
Thank you for reading A Brilliant Tribe.
