SmartPulse — our weekly nonscientific reader poll in SmartBrief on Leadership — tracks feedback from more than 190,000 business leaders. We run the poll question each week in our e-newsletter.
Last week, we asked: How clearly aligned is your organization’s purpose with the strategy you’re pursuing?
- Very aligned — our purpose defines our strategy: 37.99%
- Somewhat aligned — we generally head in the right direction: 46.93%
- Not aligned — our strategy has little connection to our purpose: 10.34%
- Misaligned — our strategy is at odds with our purpose: 4.75%
Pulling in the same direction. Clarity of direction and purpose is a critical aspect of executing against a defined strategy. Without primacy of purpose, the organization can easily get off track. Any variances you encounter between your stated purpose and the strategy you’re pursuing should be cause for alarm. Your job as a leader is to either redefine the purpose of the organization (less preferable) or realign the strategy you’re pursuing with your stated purpose.
Mike Figliuolo is managing director of thoughtLEADERS and author of “One Piece of Paper: The Simple Approach to Powerful, Personal Leadership.”