“Strategy” and “Alignment” sound like consultant-speak. But they’re not. They’re just names for very practical things.
Strategy is simply thinking long-term about what you want to achieve, with a plan to get there. It’s not a daydream. It’s a destination with a roadmap.
Alignment is making sure everything you say and do contributes to that destination.
Let me share a story from the shop floor.
A 250-person machining unit making high-value titanium parts was experiencing random fires in their machines. Operators, responsible for several machines at once, never knew where the next fire would break out. The stress was huge. Some operators had already had accidents. And the situation wasn’t improving fast enough.
The leadership team brought me in, not to fix the machining process (I couldn’t), but to look at how they worked together.
We ran a strategy session. We used the Lego Serious Play method to co-create a vision for the unit—what success looked like, and what kind of leadership culture they wanted to build. Then they did something bold: they showed that Lego vision model to every one of the 250 workers.
Of course, the first reaction was, “You’re paid to play with Legos?” But the moment the team explained their thinking, it clicked. Workers asked questions. They engaged. And session by session, the whole team got on board.
Then came alignment.
We put project planning boards and meetings on the shop floor. Everyone could see what was going on. Anyone could attend. Trust started to grow.
Each manager was coached to act in line with the leadership values they themselves had defined. Every decision was tested against the vision. Bit by bit, trust turned into momentum.
Nine months later:
- Stress levels were down.
- Accidents had dropped.
- The fires were resolved.
- And the unit hit its production targets.
Was it magic? No. Just consistent, focused effort from every person in the unit.
That’s what strategy and alignment really are. Practical tools to help real people solve real problems, and win.