Award-winning Business Communication - How to Break through Limitations Set by Others
Posted May 26, 2008 
Comments(0) Do you struggle to create and maintain cohesiveness in your business or your place of work? Don’t you wish there was a way to bring everyone together and work toward a common goal? Well, there is a way to do all of this and keep a smile on each person’s face. One of the most important and little-known business communication practices is alignment. Read on to find out what this is and how it can turbo-charge your workplace productivity.
Aligning More Than Just Your Tires
Just as the stars seem to align for a perfect circumstance, so can your business– and this time you can be in control of the stars. How fast would your business move if you got the results you wanted? When you create alignment in your business, you ensure that each person involved is working toward a common goal. Because you have created shared desires with each other, each party feels as if everything is working in their favor and you set yourself up for better results. Creating alignment is more than just learning new listening techniques or overcoming objections. Every successful business interaction, or any instance where people are working together to create the most favorable result, needs to start with alignment. You can understand this concept more fully if you think about life in general terms. Each day you drive down the highway to work, the store, or pick up the kids - going in your own direction. Although you are going your own way to achieve your desired outcome (getting where they want to go), there are others on the road trying to reach their own destinations. Although each person may reach different destinations, the transportation laws communicate to everyone to drive in the same way, this creates alignment. At the end of the commute, everyone achieves the result they set out to accomplish.Alignment in business works the same way. It involves communicating with those around you to reach a common goal creating enhanced results.
First Things First - Build Internal Alignment
It is critical to create alignment with yourself before you can begin to create it with others. Once you have identified your desired outcome, and the underlying values associated with it, you will be ready to express it to others. Be sure to dig deep and find those underlying values that support your wants. For instance, perhaps your desired outcome is to have everybody in the group read a memo before a meeting. The underlying value might be effectiveness because you want people to be informed so you don’t lose any time getting people up to speed once the meeting is underway. It is important to understand that behind every desired outcome, there are values that make you want that outcome in the first place.
Interacting with Others: The Alignment Conversation
After determining your own values and desired outcome you’re ready to explore those of your colleagues. The people with whom you will be working are also motivated by values, which are not necessarily the same as yours. By asking if they share the same values you will gain insight into what motivates them. Once you know what motivates them, you can each get on board with a shared vision. This is the alignment process. When you are set with a shared vision in place, you can begin to lay out strategies that will make that vision come to fruition.
Key points for the alignment conversation:
As you begin to share your values and goals with others, try to avoid strategizing as much as possible. The alignment conversation should consist of making an agreement with them to worry less about the details of the ‘how’ and focus on getting to that shared vision. You can worry later about how you will get there. It is also a good idea to steer clear of discussions about the past. When you and the other person(s) agree not to speak of the past, the conversation will be free of skepticism and finger pointing.
Other Keys to Cover in the Conversation:
Be willing to negotiate detailed strategies that benefit all those involved. Dedicate yourself to letting go of judgment and criticism. Be ready to celebrate all successes that come from the conversation.
When you have set an understanding of values and created a shared vision, you have already been successful in working together for a mutually beneficial outcome. It will now come more naturally to create situations where everyone gets what they want. You will begin to see just how enjoyable it can be to work toward a common goal, when everyone is agreeable. You will find yourself in a collaborative and supportive work environment that lends itself to enhanced productivity and wins for all.
Creating alignment is one of the many methods we teach to develop vibrant relationships and efficiency in your business communication. You’ll discover even more when you sign up for our complimentary riveting and results-driven Weekly Action Tips eMail series at: www.FocusedAttention.com/cmd.php?ad=317928. Each tip offers practical advice for creating the relationships that you really want. Or visit us at:
