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Innovate and Accelerate Clinic Recap

Did you miss our clinic with Michael Ashley (Mash) last week? Check out the recording above!

This talk is about strategic alignment in startups and how to avoid the problems it causes. Our speaker, Michael Ashley, is an entrepreneur (FastPencil, Radi8, Foclarity) Consultant (Product, Marketing, Operations, Strategy, Vision, Leadership) as well as an Educator at San Jose State University, Launch Director, SJSU Incubator Mentor, and Speaker. During the clinic, he shared his experience and insights on how to identify and fix misalignment.

Here are the five main reasons why strategic misalignment occurs:

  1. Divergent vision, mission, and goals: If the team doesn't have a clear understanding of what the company is trying to achieve, it will be difficult to work together effectively.

  2. Misalignment of resources: If resources are not allocated in a way that supports the company's goals, it will be difficult to achieve them.

  3. Eroding culture: A culture that is not aligned with the company's strategy can lead to confusion, frustration, and conflict.

  4. Diminished quality: If the company is not focused on delivering high-quality products or services, customers will eventually notice and take their business elsewhere.

  5. Leadership churn: If there is a lot of turnover in leadership, it can be difficult to maintain a consistent strategy and direction.

Mash also provides tips on how to identify and fix misalignment. Some of these tips include:

  • Communicate regularly and openly with your team.

  • Make sure everyone understands the company's vision, mission, and goals.

  • Align resources with the company's goals.

  • Create a culture that is supportive of the company's strategy.

  • Focus on delivering high-quality products or services.

  • Provide stability and consistency in leadership

Be sure to watch the recording for ALL the details!

Want to connect with Mash? Reach out to him on Linkedin at: https://linkedin.com/in/mashley


Resources:

McKinsey 3-Horizons Framework

V2MOM (Salesforce)

Objectives & Key Results (OKR)

Balanced Scorecard