The Power of Alignment: How Great Companies Stay Centered and Accomplish Extraordinary Things
by George Labovitz and Victor Rosansky
Misaligned companies, like cars out of alignment, can develop serious problems if not corrected quickly. They are hard to steer and don’t respond well to changes in direction. This groundbreaking book shows you how to get—and keep—all the vital elements of your organization aligned and headed in the same direction at the same time.
Leaders must keep their people centered in the midst of change, de-emphasize hierarchy, and distribute leadership by distributing authority, information, knowledge, and customer data throughout their organization. Alignment is a response to the new business reality where customer requirements are in flux, where competitive forces are turbulent, and where the bond of loyalty between an organization and its people has been weakened. The old linear approach to management has given way to one of alignment. This book is packed with war stories and firsthand perspectives of industry leaders.
In essence, alignment links the five key elements of an organization—people, process, customers, business strategies, and, of course, leadership—to obtain breakthrough results, chief among them, sustained growth and profit, loyal customers, and a high-performing work force.
(This book review was originally published in 1999 as one of the Top 10 Books – Edition 1.)
About Harry K. Jones
Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.