How to Align Actions With Your Purpose

How do we create alignment in our organization towards our goals? I've seen too many teams struggle to translate high-level strategy into their daily work. The disconnect between executives' strategic vision and the teams building the products is a common pitfall. This is what I call “The missing middle”. I developed the Product Strategy Canvas to help teams hone in on the middle, and figure out how to connect the dots. This canvas is designed to help teams and executives align on the 'why', 'what', and 'how' of their product strategy. It's a visual and collaborative tool that breaks down the overarching strategy into actionable components. By using this canvas, teams can ensure that every feature, every sprint, and every release is a step towards the strategic goals of the company. Here's how it helps: 1. Clarity: It provides a clear framework for discussing and defining the key elements of your product strategy. 2. Alignment: It aligns cross-functional teams around a common understanding of the product vision, goals, and initiatives. 3. Focus: It helps prioritize efforts by making it evident what contributes to the strategy and what doesn't. 4. Communication: It serves as a communication tool that can be used to keep stakeholders informed and engaged. The Product Strategy Canvas is more than just a document; it's a catalyst for strategic thinking and a beacon for product development. It's about making sure that every team member, from engineers to marketers, understands the part they play in the company's success. 🌟 Have you used the Product Strategy Canvas? Share your experiences and insights in the comments, I’d love to hear them. You can also learn more about he Strategy Canvas in our Product Foundations course at productinstitute.com. 🚀 Already familiar with it? ‘Product Operations’ explains what data is necessary to help determine each one of these levels and how ProductOps can help you get it: Grab my new book with Denise Tilles here: https://a.co/d/8biyITB #StrategyCanvas #BusinessInnovation #ValueCreation #CompetitiveStrategy #BusinessGrowth #VisualMapping #StrategicPlanning #Leadership #ProductStrategy

Last week, my team here at Google came together in NYC to plan for FY 2024. We had a productive end of year offsite and a topic surfaced that has been top-of-mind for me recently — purpose before action. 💭 Previously, I wrote about embracing progress over perfection, so it’s important to note that there is a difference between paralysis by perfectionism and intentional, often strategic, pauses to develop a purpose-driven approach. We operate in a world that often glorifies busyness and quick wins, so it’s easy to get caught up in hustling without a clear sense of direction. Intention makes all the difference, so start by assessing your current state of business and then focus on where you want to go. In my team’s offsite, we set clear business targets and priorities. Then moved to the how and who — execution and resources required. 📍Where We Are - Current State of Business Understanding our current position is the first step towards meaningful action. Embracing where we are and acknowledging our strengths, challenges & gaps sets the foundation for purposeful decision-making. This introspective step also aligns with our commitment to the new business targets and priorities — it’s about plotting our current state and moving forward from there. 🗺️ Where We Are Going - Business Targets & Priorities Purpose requires a destination. What are our long-term business goals, and how do they align with our mission and business objectives. Again, setting a clear vision isn’t about perfection — it’s about progress. Like the iterative mindset we championed at our offsite, finding purpose is an ongoing journey, not a fixed endpoint. 🎒What We Need - How & Who Identifying what the business & organization needs is a dynamic process, echoing the sentiment that “good enough” isn’t about settling — it means being realistic. Just as we emphasized at the offsite, perfection is often an obstacle to action. By understanding our needs, we empower ourselves to make impactful decisions while staying rooted in reality. By taking a moment to assess where we are, where we're going, and what we need, we pave the way for purposeful & progressive business actions. In a world that requires speed & adaptability, let’s move and be agile with intention. 🚀 #PurposeDriven #ProgressOverPerfection #Strategy #TeamOffsite #WomenInTech #WomenLeadership #DiverseLeadership #Leadership

Paradox of Work-Life Yesterday, I was teaching business strategy to my batch-15 class.  While emphasizing the importance of keeping an alignment between strategy formulation and strategy execution, my mind wandered, and I started to think about how we approach our life formulation and life execution. In business, the emphasis on strategy formulation is paramount; we turn every stone, analyze every possibility, and revise endlessly. But what strikes me is the sharp contrast between our approach to strategy in business and strategy for our life. We burn our lives helping our employers achieve their mission, vision, and goals but in the pursuit of rising on the corporate ladder, we forget the very purpose and mission of our own life. We often jump into the execution phase of our lives without much thought to 'life formulation.' We're quick to set goals for a successful career, a happy family, a dream home, but we rarely sit down to strategically think how we are going to achieve it. We keep acting and reacting but do not get time to strategize about our lives. In business, when execution fails, we're back to the drawing board, analyzing where our strategy went wrong. But in life, we are tempted to push through without stopping to reassess the basic plan of our life. We experience failure, dissatisfaction, emotional burnout but hardly question or try to reimagine our life blueprint. Your life is more important than your business. This is not only for you to believe in but to act upon it before it becomes too late. At a minimum, start with the following simple guidelines: 1.    Create a Life Vision and Align with Your Personal Goals: This will change your perspective about work-life and force you to create the right balance. 2.    Analyze Your Personal SWOT: Just like a business, identify your Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats in life. 3.    Be Adaptable in Life Execution: Life, much like business, is unpredictable. Embrace change. 4.    Review Periodically: Just as businesses conduct quarterly reviews, schedule time to assess your life strategy. Are you on track? What needs to change? I'd love to hear your thoughts. How do you strategize in your life? #CFO #CA #CPA #CMA #ACCA

The most important lesson I've learned as a leader is the power of aligning each individual's sense of purpose with the organization's shared purpose. When people understand how their role contributes to the collective goals, something remarkable happens. The "why we" transforms from an abstract concept into a personal, tangible force that boosts motivation. Years ago, I found myself at a crossroads with my business. We could continue forward as-is or make a major pivot, winding down a large part of our decade-old operations. Both options required hard choices. Where should we focus? Did we have the right resources? I chose to make the pivot. While researching for my book "Alignment," this lesson hit home. Neuroscientist Dan Cable explained how leaders can craft a purpose that people feel through their work. When people see their role in the bigger picture, performance excels and unity strengthens. I've since experienced this firsthand, helping both startups and Fortune 500s achieve remarkable outcomes by painting a vivid alignment between individual and shared purpose. This skill allows you as a leader to connect strategy to outcomes by bridging the "why me" and "why we" gap. With a "why we" approach, you can build focus and help people understand their vital contribution. The key is making organizational purpose meaningful on an individual level.

Ever stopped to think about why you’re doing what you’re doing? I mean, REALLY think about it? I had a moment of reflection today, and it led me down a path that I think many of us tread but don’t often talk about. It’s all about leading with PURPOSE. 🎯 You know, it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day tasks, the KPIs, the meetings, the endless emails. We’re all guilty of it. But what happens when we step back and ask ourselves, “What’s the WHY behind what I’m doing?” Recently, I had a conversation with a colleague who was feeling disconnected from her work. She was doing everything “right” but felt like a cog in a machine. We sat down for virtual coffee chat ☕ and really dug into what drives her, what the company values are, and how she could align her goals with the broader vision. It was like a lightbulb went off 💡. Suddenly, tasks that seemed mundane took on new significance. That quarterly report? It wasn’t just numbers on a page; it was a roadmap for collective impact. That client meeting? It wasn’t just a sales pitch; it was a chance to make a difference in someone’s life. She was able to work with leadership to check in on this on this realization. Leading with purpose isn’t about lofty ideals or grand statements. It’s about the nitty-gritty of connecting what we do every day with why we do it. It’s about knowing that our small efforts, aligned with our values, contribute to something greater. 🌏 Here’s what I’ve learned: 1️⃣ Take time to understand your organization’s values, and see how your goals align and adjust accordingly. 2️⃣ Talk with your team openly about the “why” behind their tasks. 3️⃣ Cultivate a culture where purpose isn’t a buzzword but a daily practice. When we lead with purpose, we don’t just manage better; we live better. We become part of a movement that goes beyond profit and productivity. We become champions of meaning. I’m curious to know how you’ve found purpose in your leadership journey. Have you had those lightbulb moments? How do you keep the “why” at the forefront? Let’s chat below. 👇🏼 #Leadership #CulturalItelligence #Diversity 📸 Unsplash: SOULSANA : A picture of letter tiles spelling ‘shift happens’