The Alignment Foundation: The Core 4 The Alignment Foundation is about the Core 4: Purpose Values Mission Vision Nothing earth-shattering here. Many of us have heard that we need to have these four pieces in place. But what I'd like you to consider is whether they are REALLY part of your who your organization is, deep to the core. If an employee was acting outside of the core purpose or values of the company, would every other person in the company step in and provide some correction? It starts with the senior leadership team. Each person on the senior leadership team must exemplify each of the core values of the company. They must know the purpose of the company and be able to tell what that looks like when realized. They need to be able to quote the values and mission (both short), and do so with real conviction. And sharing the vision needs to be second nature, with stories of what you are creating and what it will look like in the future. Your Purpose Organizations exist for a purpose. Many would consider that purpose is to make money or create an impact. But purpose goes deeper. Purpose to a faith-based leader may be to glorify God. Purpose to a non-profit leader may be to save millions of lives. And the purpose of a for-profit leader may be to have both a profit and impact. Your Purpose is your WHY. Your Purpose never changes. Big Think's Purpose: To Create offerings and events that transform businesses. Your Values Core Values are those things that you will get into arguments over, and fire people when they don't line up with them. They are your immovable rocks [...]

Building a Naturally Innovative Organization™: The Big Think High Performance Spearhead Many companies struggle with staying on the innovation front-end rather than getting bogged down and decimated by competitors that are more innovative. At Big Think Innovation, we have been talking to leaders and thinking about what differentiates innovative firms from those that are just getting by. And we’ve created the Big Think High Performance Spearhead to show how pieces build on each other and fit together to drive innovation in an organization.   The Alignment Foundation Starting at the bottom, we have the Alignment Foundation in purple. The Alignment Foundation focuses on getting everyone in the organization moving in the same direction, with passion and engagement. These three elements are the core of building a Naturally Innovative Organization™. They provide direction and get the right people in the organization from the start. The Core4 includes Purpose, Values, Mission, and Vision. Before over-communicating the Core 4 to others, the leadership team must Live the Core 4 to show integrity, and also use the Core 4 as a key element of hiring and review. Inspiration and alignment are natural byproducts of establishing the Alignment Foundation. High Performance Core These three elements build on the foundation by providing detailed guidance and assuring that all people in the organization are working at top effectiveness and in the same direction. Building a sharing a comprehensive strategy that connects to peoples’ roles is important. Then you need to adjust the organizational structure to assure that the strategy can be executed effectively. Finally, you need to install a management system that is based on fairness and trust, and that focuses leaders to take care of their people and get out of [...]