Alignment.. literally The Secret Sauce!

I am all down for making things easier to understand, so in this article I’m going to explain alignment & why I totally think it is the secret sauce in business, & your life for that matter. There are many layers to alignment, but for now lets start with a basic & quick way to see if your business is in alignment. Think of it like testing if your wheels are aligned, if they aren’t you may find yourself off track. Ask yourself 2 questions:

1 – What are you selling? Explore these questions: do you know the exact product, experience or service that you are selling today, this is not what you would like to sell. What are your clients experiencing from your business? Is everyone on the team selling the same experience, service or product? Have you have always sold this service, experience or product as you are today? Whats changed? Do you feel good about or proud of the experience, service or product you are selling?

2 – What does your ideal client want? Explore these questions: do you know who your ideal client is? Do you have a clear understanding of what experience, service or product that client wants? Do you know why they choose your business? Have you lost you ideal client over time? Do you know where there have gone? Why? Would you like to visit your business as a client? Why or why not?

What are you selling? What does your ideal client want? Two questions that can give you immense insight into whether your business is in alignment. Are they the same thing? There is tonnes of room to explore further and flesh out alignment but lets start with these 2 foundational questions.

Signs that you might need help with re-alignment:

• Your feeling that as your business grows the experience, service or product is changing, moving away from your business purpose or worse, lost. This may feel like you are losing control, which can lead to you becoming more controlling to compensate. Statements like “they dont care like I do” “they cant do it like me” are common as you move into this mis-aligned energy.
• Your struggling to find the “right” team members. Having absolute clarity around your business purpose & doing business in alignment will attract people who value the things your business represents.
• Your business seems to attract the difficult time wasting or draining clients. When a client expects something from your business and they dont get it this can lead to complaints or client who you might call “hard work”.
• Your are working hard but dont seem to be getting anywhere. You rarely feel in “flow” and evrything starts to feel like a push. 

Reasons why your business might be out of alignment:

• Chinese whispers: The interpretation of the business purpose, client experience, service or product is lost as it moves through the team. This can happen as your team grows or you step away from the coal face and is the reason it is important to recruit people who are aligned to your business values & vision.
• Misaligned team. You have people working within the business that are not connected to the business purpose, dont care to offer the experience, service or product that is aligned to your business. Knowing your business purpose, what you are selling and who is your ideal client to sell it to is very important for every person within the business to know and be aligned with regardless of level.
• Too complicated. Your defined purpose is hard to follow and loses direction as it filters through business. KISS! Keep it simple stupid! Have it written in normal (not too formal) language where everyone can see it, ensure everyone knows it.
• What you are selling is not what your ideal client wants.

What it takes to be in Alignment

• Make tough choices that honor the purpose of the business.
• Dedicate time and resources to re-align. This may mean letting a team member go despite performance, redesigning a service, changing products or adjudsting pricing etc
• Be flexible and adapt to changes, new services and products within our industry and be responsive to meet the client desires as they change.
• Celebrate team members who show up in alignment and deliver the experience, service & product that is on purpose with your business. Recognise team members who actively help to bring business into alignment.
• Hire slowly. This may mean turning work away while you hold out for a new team member who is aligned with your business purpose. Taking your time in hiring will save you lots of potential stress down the track.

I hope this article has given you some simple insight into alignment and got you thinking about your own business. I suggest you read back over with pen and paper and explore the questions. The universe rewards action and this journalling activity just may help you get clear around your purpose so you can be aligned and on track.