Brands or Grexit: alignment is everything

I'm neither a politican nor an economist, and I'm not taking sides on any of the arguments. It's all too complicated for me, apart from what seems a simple core truth. Two perspectives, that are driving the arguments and behaviours, are just not aligned. And whenever that happens, trouble follows. To my mind, the Greek situation exposes many cases of mis-alignment, but the most problematic is that of the political agenda being out of step with the fiscal. If they don't inform and work with each other, there is no chance of a successful outcome.

Exactly the same happens in organisations whose leaders fail to make alignment a priority. That goes far beyond the normal "buy-in" and "same songsheet" interpretations - as important as they are - and into the purpose, heart and soul of the organisation. Do all stakeholders understand what the business is for, and trying to achieve? Do they all agree on the criteria for evaluating its progress? (Judging by the departure of a major bank's CEO last week, perhaps not.)

Why is an M&A agreed, and how is it going to deliver the value it promises? (I was shocked to hear recently that the Global HR Director knew nothing about the deal bringing two huge companies together, until all the staff were informed. Good luck on that integration programme.)

Are the commercial imperatives and objectives of the business bound into the brand strategy and architecture? (I'm looking at this very question with a client right now, because the answer so far has been "Not enough".)

'Alignment' might be one of those words that has become trendy in recent years. Because of that, it might also have been diluted in its effect and importance. But it's critical to the performance and reputation of any organisation. As we are seeing in our news bulletins every day, once things become misaligned, lots of other 'mis' words follow: misunderstanding, misinterpretation, mistrust, and ultimately missed opportunities.