High-growth companies experience significant change. They move at a rapid pace. That’s why the C-suite must be extremely diligent about maintaining organizational alignment.
Changes in fast moving companies often originate in the R&D side of the house. Changes in solution and service offerings based on customer requirements or competitive movement. Many times, these changes impact the company’s overall strategy and story.
However, very few executives stop down long enough to reconnect the dots. To realign the company’s go-to-market strategy (vision, mission, strategic initiatives), the company’s story (positioning, value proposition, key points of difference), with the changes taking place in the company’s offerings (products, solutions, services).
When this happens, the solution / service story can overtake or derail the position the company must own in the minds of its customers to experience long-term success. Ultimately, the company’s vision, combined with an intimate understanding of customer requirements, should drive your product roadmap. When corporate and product stories are misaligned, this can create a great deal of confusion in the minds of customers and employees.
Maybe this quote from a leading product management firm says it best…
“If the executive team has not constructed, communicated, or deployed the broader company strategy, the product team will have nothing to tether their product development activities to. Product and development managers who lack knowledge of the corporate strategy have no grounding from which to effectively develop useful multi-year product and technology strategies, nor tools to motivate their teams.”
That’s why companies must evaluate and reconnect the dots between their corporate strategy, story and their product roadmap. They must ensure that changes in the makeup of their offerings continue to align with the company’s vision, mission and positioning in the market.
This won’t happen if C-suite executives do not go through a formal audit and alignment process on a consistent basis. We recommend this happen at least once a year or as significant changes in the company’s solution / service offerings take place.
What’s driving your story in the market? New features and functionality … or a bigger promise to your customers? Do they align? Clarity in the minds of your customers can only exist if you tell a clear, cohesive and connected story. A corporate story that aligns with your business strategy and product roadmap.
