Stephen Covey has a very dramatic demonstration that he uses to illustrate organizational alignment. In a large room with hundreds of people Mariano Rivera Yankees Jersey , he asks everyone to close their eyes. Next he tells everyone to raise there arm and point to true north. He then tells people to open their eyes and look around.
Everyone is pointing in different directions. He then asks the group to imagine that they had to take ten steps in the direction they were pointing. Obviously total chaos would result. He then pulls out a compass and shows everyone where true north is. With a compass, everyone could take ten steps in the same direction and the entire large group would be going in the same direction without bumping into each other.
Achieving alignment is one of the most elusive dimensions of business success. Applying Covey's demonstration, the first step is deciding which direction do we want to go. Where is "true north" for our organization? This may sound simple, but many organizations fail to get agreement at the top levels of where true north is for the organization. Instead Alex Rodriguez Yankees Jersey , functional or department leaders create their own idea of true north. For an organization to have a chance of achieving a high degree of alignment, there has to be one true north for the entire organization. The definition of true north includes the vision, mission, and values of the organization. It also includes the key strategic objectives that support the mission and vision.
Once the painstaking and difficult effort of creating a shared view of where the organization is going Mickey Mantle Yankees Jersey , the next step is to provide a compass. Too often leaders assume that their job is done when they have crafted a wonderfully written and inspiring vision statement, defined the desired values of the organization, and develop key goals for the company. This is not enough. The process of integrating them into the organization must occur with two-way dialog and discussion. Many of the key business goals create a need for interdependence between functions and departments to achieve. One of the best ways to achieve alignment at the top levels of an organization is to have shared goals and accountability for the key strategic goals. In other words, the senior leaders are judged primarily on the overall results of the business Babe Ruth Yankees Jersey , not just individual objectives.
Not only do goals and objectives have to be aligned, but also processes, practices, and policies need to be consistent with the direction that the company wants to go. Once the vision and mission have been developed Derek Jeter Yankees Jersey , they need to be translated into specific behaviors expected from each person in the organization. For example Milliken and Company, in order to emphasize the importance of customer service, established a company-wide expectation that anyone would interrupt anything they were doing to deal with a customer issue. Care must be taken to make sure that policies and practices are consistent with the direction that the company wants to go.
To get your name out there, write articles and allow them to be freely reproduced (with a resource box pointing back to you.) A well-written article can:
- help build a database of clients through associated e-courses or newsletter.
How do you write the article? You can come up with the content - How do you grab those readers and make them come back for more?
As you can construct and edit an article (it has a beginning, middle and end; and you can check the grammar and spelling); if you want to WIN readers - think about what they want to know.
Put your readers first. Give them what they want and they'll be queuing up to read anything you produce.
A blueprint for writing articles that captivate your readers - whatever the topic - is a follows:
== 1. What Do Your Readers Want ==
You may know what they want because you're an expert in the field. If you don't know the subject well, you'll have to research. Look for forums on your topic and see what people are discussing. What are the problems? Can you provide an answer?
== 2. Start With An Attention-Grabber ==
Work on your opening. Try to avoid trite questions like "Have you wondered why people find it difficult to lose weight?" It's dull and it's not targeting the person reading the article - what do they care about the difficulties "people" have losing weight? They care about THEIR weight problem!
The opening paragraph should give the reader that warm "Hey, this is about me!" feeling. - "This could be the answer I've been looking for..."
Example: "Diet gurus make it all sound easy: to lose weight Dellin Betances Authentic Jersey , all you have to do is expend more energy than you take in. Huh! If it were that simple, the "Big People" stores would be out of business. For those of us tired of diets, gyms and dull group meetings, there is a back-to-basics way to tackle this. It won't cost you a fortune or leave you feeling deprived."
== 3. Write As You Speak... Then Edit! ==
The sample opening above illustrates the importance of the tone used in your article. You need 'meat'to make it worth reading.
Write your article in a natural style that's akin to normal conversation. If the first draft is too informal - fix that when you edit. Readers may want facts Aroldis Chapman Authentic Jersey , tips, and strategies, but they want entertainment too! Let your personality shine.
== 4. End On A High ==
Most articles fizzle out! Writers often don't know how to end on an upbeat note. They either stop dead or come up with a trite ending like: "So what are you waiting for? Get started today!"