Overview of Align

The goal of Pillar 2: Align is simple: Create a hyper-focused reality for the leadership team to rally around in both good times and when there are challenges.

If you’re wondering where this puts us in our overall model, we’re squarely tackling building out the “enterprise foundation.” Most small to medium businesses don’t take time to think, plan, and be intentional about their future, end goals, and directions. Not surprisingly, those that do experience strikingly better results. The pattern we’re going through here will seem simple and straight forward, but it’s based on planning that much larger firms use to develop their foundations, too. It can give you a strong advantage over your peers.

If you thought things like mission statements, visions, etc. had fallen out of favor, that couldn’t be further from the truth. But today, new generations lend new values that push businesses in new and interesting (and profitable!) directions.

Here’s what we tackle in Pillar 2: Align:

  • Part 1 – Mission
    Here we’re dedicated entirely to what you do, why you do it, and what the benefit is to your customers.
  • Part 2 – Vision & Values
    • We’ll “back-plan” from 10-year and 3-year plans for your unique business.
    • We’ll create a detailed and prompted “vision story” for your business.
    • We’ll wrap it together into a Vision Statement.
    • Finally, we’ll explore the values of the owners and leadership team that will be embodied in the business and set the business apart from its competitors.
  • Part 3 – Model
    We’ll use the Business Model Canvas methodology to “get real” about the different aspects of your business. The biggest benefit will be the 1-3 “unique” aspects of your specific business will jump out and make themselves known. We’ll use these in the next sections to push your business forward.

Ready to get started? Great!

But first, a reminder in the next lesson…