Inward Blog

Viewing entries tagged with 'alignment'

How To Eliminate Silos And Create Alignment

In our line of business, we see companies that have grown through either acquisitions and/or organic growth that reach a point where the company has become siloed and does not operate as one cohesive unit. The problem with this type of structure is that employees focus so heavily on their own department’s goals that they lose sight of the overall company vision. Additionally, it prevents the company’s fragmented divisions from enabling a smooth and cohesive relationship with partners and end consumers.

Posted by Allan Steinmetz at 11:00am

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Are You Inspiring Others By Balancing Your Work And Other Things That Are Important To You?

In a book he wrote before he died of lymphoma, Paul Tsongas, a U.S. Senator from Massachusetts made the statement that “ No one on his deathbed ever said, ‘I wish I had spent more time at the office’”. Today, in our fast paced world, work/life balance can be a challenge. And yet, effective leaders find a way to balance the things that are important to them and to their relationship with others. An engaged workforce is one in which people are passionate about what they do and that passion is driven by both the work they are doing and the values and beliefs reflected in their behavior. One of the primary motivators for employees today is the opportunity to have an impact. It’s not just about the compensation. It’s about doing meaningful work and making a difference.  And that happens when people are able to find a balance between their work and other things that are important to them and to those around them.

Posted by Rick DeMarco at 11:00am

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Employee Engagement Blog - Message Relevancy and Architecture

This is the fifth submission in an 11-week series on how to launch an employee engagement program. Last week I spoke about having a codified sequential framework and process. In this post I will discuss the importance of message relevancy and message architecture.

Posted by Allan Steinmetz at 2:00pm

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Employee Engagement and Internal Branding require a sequential framework and process. Without it your efforts will likely fail

This is the fourth submission in an 11-week series on how to launch an employee engagement program. Last week I spoke about setting clear goals and objectives. In this post I will discuss the importance of following a codified sequential framework and process.

Posted by Allan Steinmetz at 11:00am

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Setting Clear And Measurable Objectives To Create Internal Brand Alignment

This is the third submission in an 11-week series on how to launch an employee engagement program. Last week I spoke about understanding your internal audience and how to conduct internal research. In this post I will discuss how to set clear and measurable goals and objectives.

Posted by Allan Steinmetz at 3:00am

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What Is The Most Important Role In An Effective Organization?

Let me cut to the chase and then explain. Every role within an organization is equally important. To be clear, I’m not talking about which role carries the most responsibility, which one has the most exposure, or which one establishes vision and strategy. I’m talking about which role is most important to the success of an organization. For an organization to reach its vision and goals, EVERYONE has to do their job. Senior leaders can develop the most compelling strategy and vision in their industry, but successful execution of that strategy depends on everyone in the organization buying into that vision. Creating a culture of high employee engagement requires everyone to do their job and do it well. It does no good to develop and manufacture a great product if the sales people don’t sell it, the logistics team doesn’t deliver it, and the accountant doesn’t bill and collect payment for it. 

Posted by Rick DeMarco at 11:00am

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Leadership Has Nothing to do with a Title

When I deliver workshops or keynotes on the behavior of effective leaders, I often look across the room and watch people nodding their heads in agreement and then commenting about how much better things would be if their boss would just shape up.  Although it’s great to see the agreement with these principles of effective leadership that drive team alignment, here’s the problem.  Leadership has nothing to do with title or position and everything to do with behavior.  Remember, this blog is about effective leadership and employee engagement, not about organizational structure, which is clearly defined by title and position. 

Posted by Rick DeMarco at 11:00am

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Basketball great John Wooden on leadership

John Wooden was an American basketball player and coach. Nicknamed the "Wizard of Westwood," as head coach at UCLA he won ten NCAA national championships in a 12-year period, including an unprecedented seven in a row. An old colleague/friend of mine Ralph Cutcher sent me an email reminiscing about the March Madness season. It got him thinking about John Wooden, who was a favorite leader of his when he was one of the most winningest coaches for UCLA. Wooden was famous for his quotes. Ralph’s favorite,  "Things turn out best for those who make the best of how things turn out", says it all. It's a great “attitude adjuster”. Ralph went on to list a series of quotes that are attributed to John wooden which I found to be quite fascinating. I asked if it would be okay for me to share them on our blog for inspiration and contemplation and he agreed. So here they are:

Posted by Allan Steinmetz at 11:00am

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Leaders Can’t Simply Demand a Culture of Employee Engagement

There are more books written about leadership and culture than anyone could possibly read in a lifetime.  Hollywood often depicts leadership in a manner that evokes images of a strong, powerful figure issuing orders and directives that lead the team to victory.  But the reality is that as we think about the most powerful leaders in our history, we’ll note that they all had one thing in common; they were able to inspire others to share in their vision and purpose and influence them to join the movement.  Leaders like Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy, William Wallace (depicted in the movie Braveheart), Nelson Mandela, and Mahatma Gandhi had no direct control over those who joined in their movement, but they had tremendous influence over them by enrolling them in their vision and delivering compelling and persuasive communications.

Posted by Rick DeMarco at 11:00am

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