Strategy is about alignment

Organizations need to be clear in what territories, industries and segments are their playing field, and what kind of value they want to deliver. Once that purpose is clear, they can align all their resources to fulfill it.

What kind of people work with us and how do we structure their interactions? What kind of processes and what kind of capabilities do we need to increase? It depends on our purpose. What we measure and how we compensate our people’s efforts depends on our purpose.

Strategy, simply put, is nothing more than the bridge between purpose and operation, to ensure that all variables are aligned.

The most complex part of strategizing is not to conceive a strategy, but to make sure everything is aligned. When variables aren’t aligned with the purpose, there are four typical symptoms that organizations and leaders find:

1. We feel down or worn out. And this happens when we don’t have the right people to do the job, or when they don’t have the structures needed to collaborate harmoniously.
2. We feel paralyzed because we do not have the processes or capabilities necessary to fulfill the purpose. We do not know what the next step is.
3. We feel paralyzed because we do not have the processes or capabilities necessary to fulfill the purpose. We do not know what the next step is.
4. There is a mixture of resistance and discouragement. When what we measure and reward is not aligned with the purpose, people resist doing following it.
5. Frustration or hopelessness, because we don’t have the resources we need.

From a pragmatic point of view, a strategy is nothing more than an intelligent way to obtain and align resources to fulfill your purpose and avoid distractions.