When Naploeon was asked what his secret to success was in his biggest victories, he replied, "First, I get all of my men facing the same direction."

This is the challenge facing most organizations today.

I like the advice from Pat Lencioni, best-selling author and management consultant. In his book, The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive: A Leadership Fable, he says the answer is rather simple. He outlines the four obsessions of an extraordinary executive:

1. Build and maintain a cohesive leadership team. Do you have a strong No. 2? A strong CFO? A strong management team with clarity around the organization's strategy can move mountains.
2. Create organizational clarity: This is done by making strategic planning a systematic process (versus episodic events).
3. Over-communicate organizational clarity: The more teams understand the strategy, the less they need to be supervised and directed.
4. Reinforce organizational clarity through human systems: Your strategy will be derailed if your human systems (compensation, recruiting, training) conflict with your strategies. You build clarity and alignment by developing simple structures around decision-making, performance and reward policies.

We have developed a strategic thinking system that helps develop these extraordinary leaders (Top Five Qualities of Extraordianry Leaders), align your team and develop a dynamic strategic plan capable of navigating these turbulent times. It is called I2A - Insights to Action, and it is used in leadership development and as a system for strategic planning. Call Pam Devine at (888) 481-3500 for more information.