The Art of Alignment: A Data-Driven Approach to Lead Aligned Organizations

by Art Johnson, Harvey Mackay (Foreword by)

Overview

“The key to great interviewing is listening—concentrating solely on the answer to be sure you're aligned with your guest. The same is true for great business leaders. Art’s guide for gaining greater alignment can help any team or organization achieve top performance.”—Larry King, the world’s most recognized interviewer

Leading organizations worldwide are evolving from the idea of employee engagement to that of organizational alignment. More important in today’s virtual work environment, The Art of Alignment provides a roadmap to creating alignment to your mission and vision to distributed teams. Readers will discover the answers to:

How bought in to the mission and vision are your employees? Are leaders across your organization aligned? How are your KPIs integrated into the organizational alignment?

The Art of Alignment takes a data-driven approach to organizational alignment. When executives add PURPOSE to engagement, coupled with measurement, your organization will experience market-leading performance. By following the 9-Pillars approach to leadership, your organization can increase key metrics by as much as 28% with each percentage point improvement in alignment.

The approach to organizational alignment is organized into four parts; how it can be measured, practiced and analyzed:

Part 1 – Alignment is the Responsibility of Leadership Part 2 – The Nine Pillars of Alignment Part 3 – The Data-Driven Leadership Playbook Part 4 – The Scientific Leader - Where Data Science Meets Leadership Decisions

By adopting a scientific approach to your leadership style, leaders are able to visualize how to improve employee engagement and performance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781641464925
Publisher:	Made For Success Publishing
Publication date:	02/23/2021
Pages:	340
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Art realized the importance of alignment as his career job responsibilities have spanned multiple disciplines and industries. His competitive spirit, highlighted in collegiate athletics, inspired him to leverage his experience, knowledge and network to form ISI. Art developed a reputation for strong team leadership, cost savings and revenue generation. The creation of Orgametrics™ has given Art the platform to share his successes on a broader scale.

Throughout his career, Art has had an impressive background in both sales and marketing. A strategic thinker and leader, he has an established record of driving revenue and growth through direct and indirect sales organizations. Art is known for delivering a mix of strategy, innovation, and process excellence that expand corporate capability and market leadership, strengthen competitive positions, and increase profitability in highly competitive industries. This dynamic leader is adept at driving alignment, developing executive-level relationships and fostering collaboration among diverse teams to consistently exceed expectations, increase productivity, and optimize performance.

In 1989, Art began his career in Information Technology with International Business Machines (IBM). He moved up in the ranks quickly and obtained a Master’s degree from the University of St. Thomas, while working as a branch manager. US West (Qwest Communications) recruited Art for vice president of internet services in telecommunications. Soon after, he was promoted to corporate officer when he accepted the position of vice president and general manager of large business sales. In 2008, Art joined Medtronic Incorporated. Until 2013, he was vice president of sales in the Cardio Vascular Group. His successes in medical device, telecommunications and information technology are evident by his President Club participation in every industry.

Art holds a Bachelor’s degree from Drake University, Des Moines, IA, an MBA from the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN and he participated in the Executive Development Program at The Wharton School of Business in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Harvey Mackay is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive and Beware the Naked Man Who Offers You His Shirt, both books are among the top 15 inspirational business books of all time, according to the New York Times. His books have sold more than ten million copies worldwide.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xv

Foreword xvii

Introduction xxi

Part 1 Alignment is the Responsibility of Leadership 1

Chapter 1 The Role of Leadership in Alignment 3

Why Alignment Matters 4

Matching Performance to Purpose 6

Medtronic: Where It All Began 8

Discovering the Real Problems 12

Chapter 2 Changing Perspective 17

Levels of Alignment 18

Look Through Different Lenses 21

Chapter 3 Anyone Can Be a Great Leader 39

Getting Everyone Aligned 42

How Leaders Develop Strategic Plans 46

Part 2 The Nine Pillars of Alignment 51

Chapter 4 Introduction to the Nine Pillars of Alignment 53

Accelerating Cultural Shift 56

How Alignment Issues Impact Turnover 58

Lateral Alignment 61

Keeping the Mission and Vision Front and Center 62

Accountability 63

Chapter 5 Mission and Vision 67

Alignment to the Mission 68

Clear and Simple Mission 69

How to Keep the Mission Front and Center 70

When Changes Are Required 71

Chapter 6 Leadership 73

Leading by Example 75

Tapping into the Experiences of Others 76

Leadership Styles 77

Chapter 7 Communication 83

Communication as a Building Block of Organizational Alignment 84

How Communication Impacts Alignment 85

Getting Communication Right 86

Communication Gaps 87

Encoding and Decoding Communication 90

Three Levels of Aligned Communication 92

Communication with Millennial 93

Communication Challenges Specific to the Public Sector 95

Chapter 8 Accountability 97

Leadership's Role in Accountability 99

Hiring Accountable People 101

When Accountability is Missing 102

The Accountability Culture 104

When Accountability is Lacking 105

Chapter 9 Empowerment 109

Eliminating the Rocks in the Road 110

Helping Employees Take Calculated Risks 113

Overly Prescriptive Policies 115

Empowerment and Accountability Are Connected 116

How to Empower Others 117

Chapter 10 Teamwork 121

The Silo Effect 123

Chapter 11 Creativity 127

When Creativity is Lacking 129

Creativity as a Team Effort 130

The Suggestion Box is Not Where Ideas Go to Die 131

Raising the Level of Creativity 133

Chapter 12 Best Practices 137

When Best Practices Are Non-Existent 138

When Best Practices Are Encouraged 138

Chapter 13 Development 141

Part 3 The Data-Driven Leadership Playbook 147

Chapter 14 The Crescendo Effect 149

Structure That Leads to Crescendo 152

Strategy That Leads to Crescendo 153

When Resilience is Tested 154

When Change is Indicated 156

Monitoring While Building Toward Crescendo 158

Chapter 15 The Paradox of the Smart Person 159

The Oracle of Information 162

Seeking 360-Degree Feedback 162

Questions Are the Answer 164

Chapter 16 The Alignment Playbook 167

Lining Up the Crosshairs 168

Key Performance Indicators 169

Adjusting the Course and Processes 172

Chapter 17 Team Alignment 175

Dirty Work 177

Maximizing Team Alignment 178

Handling Promotions 180

Chapter 18 The Leadership Playbook 181

Organizational Alignment is Not Accidental 183

Stand, Float, or Charge? 185

Chapter 19 The Alignment Gap 191

Assessing Where You Are 193

Purpose Bridges the Gap 195

Chapter 20 Alignment Questions 201

Questions for Leaders 203

Part 4 The Scientific Leader: Where Data Science Meets Leadership Decisions 207

Chapter 21 Problem #1: Turnover 209

Discovering the "Why" of Turnover 210

Money is Not Always the Reason for Turnover 212

Are Your Employees Playing the Job-Hopping Game? 213

Millennial Turnover 214

Alignment Discourages Turnover 215

Chapter 22 Problem #2: Misaligned Employees 217

Focus on the Fuel 218

When Disengagement Occurs 219

Miscommunication: The Leading Cause of Disengagement 221

Is Re-engagement the Answer? 222

Chapter 23 Problem #3: Ambiguity 225

Deliver Messages the Way Others Need to Hear Them 228

Customer-Focused Mission Statements 229

Chapter 24 Problem #4: Poor Signal Attenuation 231

Eliminating the Disconnect Between Performance and Outcome 232

Cascading Consistent Messaging 233

Chapter 25 Problem #5: Not Knowing Stakeholders 235

360 Degrees of Accountability 236

Know Your People! 236

Chapter 26 Problem #6: The Autocratic Leader 239

Traits of the Autocratic Leader 241

How Others Respond to the Autocratic Leader 241

Effective Leaders 242

Chapter 27 Problem #7: Inconsistency in Communications 245

The Importance of Tying All Communication to the Mission and Vision 247

Chapter 28 Problem #8: Resource Allocation 249

Allocation is the Responsibility of Leadership 251

Chapter 29 Problem #9: Stifling Creativity 253

Creativity Leads to Productivity 254

Transparency Leads to Creativity 256

The Benefits of Creativity 258

Strategies for Encouraging Creativity 258

Chapter 30 Problem #10: Lack Of Best Practices 261

Foster a Learning Organization 262

Conclusion 265

Self-Assessment 270

Epilogue 273

Endnotes 277

Editorial Reviews

The key to great interviewing is listening—concentrating solely on the answer to be sure you're aligned with your guest. The same is true for great business leaders. Art’s guide for gaining greater alignment can help any team or organization achieve top performance.”
—Larry King, the world’s most recognized interviewer

“This book is about helping you develop the strategic leadership skills necessary to achieve higher performance through the individuals who make up your organization. Reading it is like taking an MBA course in workplace performance. Implementing the strategies within these pages is bound to enhance your career as a leader and generate incredible results for your organization.”
—Harvey Mackay, author of Pushing the Envelope All the Way to the Top

“The creativity and individual initiative of our employees is a foundation of our innovation model. The Art of Alignment outlines and drives home the importance of creativity and empowerment within an aligned organization to match performance with purpose.”
—John Banovetz, CTO, 3M

“As a fraternity of excellence, it is paramount for Alphas to be aligned with our mission of leadership, brotherhood, academic achievement, and community advocacy. Following The Art of Alignment will help us achieve our strategic goals and increase our community impact.”
—Dr. Willis Lonzer III, General President, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

“This is an exceptional book for anyone aspiring to be a CEO. The art of management has evolved over time in many ways. Leadership has become more complex recently with the issues of diversity, inclusion, globalization, and ESG. This book provides a roadmap with various details, ideas, and references on how to lead successful, effective organizations.”
—Rear Admiral James B. Whittaker, U.S. Navy (retired) and author of Strategic Planning in a Rapidly Changing Environment

"When leading sales-driven organizations, getting teams to align with a company’s mission and vision is a game-changer. If you're seeking answers for creating a high-performance team, look no further. Use the strategies in this book as your guide."
—Tom Hopkins, best-selling author of How to Master the Art of Selling

“Law enforcement officers who fully embrace the mission and vision of their office will work diligently to enhance public trust. The Art of Alignment brings forth the key concepts and practices that we have used to align our office and pursue better business practices.”
—Sheriff James Stuart, Anoka County, MN and Secretary of the National Sheriffs' Association

“As Chief Legal Officer for a major insurance company, maintaining alignment to our mission and purpose was critical to achieving success in the face of exacting regulatory requirements. Art’s book does a great job of helping leaders understand how they can better lead and align their organizations.”
—Wayne Robinson, Former Chief Legal Officer (retired), Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America

“When Art and I worked together at USWest, I saw how his grasp of alignment to mission and vision had the power to create something great. The Art of Alignment is the culmination of the learnings and practice he developed and grew over time.”
—John Kelley, Chairman & CEO, CereHealth Corp.

“When I was CEO of Watson Wyatt Worldwide, I pushed hard with SHRM to include alignment issues as part of their certification process. The Art of Alignment does a great job of not only outlining the core pillars of alignment but showing how to practice the techniques and measure the impact.”
—Pete Smith, CEO, Watson Wyatt Worldwide (retired)

“I depend on aligned employees to keep us innovative and ensure our customer’s best experience. The Art of Alignment does a great job outlining ways to keep that innovation and creativity at the core of aligning a company’s mission and vision. Highly recommended.”
—Jennifer Smith, President & CEO, Innovative Office Solutions

"As I was watching my father, Herb Brooks, lead the 1980 US Olympic Hockey team to Gold, I saw firsthand how alignment to mission and vision conquered the toughest foes. The Art of Alignment shows how you can align your organization in ways to drive success.”
—Dan Brooks, Managing Director of RBC Wealth Management and son of legendary Olympic Hockey Coach, Herb Brooks

From the Publisher