Art W. Johnson

Organizational alignment is not accidental. Leaders define their organization’s mission and vision and are responsible for creating the roadmaps to get there. Attaining alignment is dependent on the leader’s ability to inspire his or her followers to pursue a common purpose with energy and zeal. It’s up to the leaders to help employees see the vision clearly. 

 

Leaders need to develop their skills to include a variety of ways to communicate, encourage teamwork, and drive accountability. They need to set clear and ethical goals for themselves and others. And they need to give honest and timely feedback with the objective of enabling individuals to increase their own performance levels — not criticize or lay blame when plans fail. When leaders have done their work of alignment well, the organization runs like a well-oiled machine and there’s little need for the leader to be in the trenches. Instead, leaders remain accessible and allow the work to flow.  

 

 

Joining us for our discussion on Teamwork     is Art W Johnson    who is on the phone from from his Minneapolis MN office Art Johnson is CEO of Infinity Systems, Inc., a management consulting firm where he helps leaders identify and rectify organizational misalignment. Previously, he implemented a strategic plan to improve alignment at Medtronic, the world’s largest medical technology company, enabling it to grow top-line revenue by 13 percent year-over-year in a flat market. His new book is The Art of Alignment: A Data-Driven Approach to Lead Aligned Organizations Welcome To Mastering Your Money, Art W Johnson .