True Alignment: Linking Company Culture with Customer Needs for Extraordinary Results

Alignment is the centerpiece of this compelling read, but the True core of Edgar Papke's fine new book revolves around "the human art of business." The author, a thought leader and compelling coach (he's advised me for two decades), offers more than the typical blueprint for corporate ascendancy; indeed Papke's own heart is open and reflected in the myriad real-life examples and case studies that all lead to what for me is the volume's most profound message: "Business is the most advanced form of human art." Edgar's elemental understanding of both company culture and those real-life beings who populate every endeavor and exchange of the organization, lend to the credibility and readability of this work. Don't miss the point, as Edgar Papke reminds readers: It's Always About the People. Understand your customer's needs - both internal AND external - and Papke explains them in terms that every reader will relate to - and you will truly align with the "Ideal Culture" and achieve great success and extraordinary results. Share this book at every level of any size organization and see what I mean.

All leaders and stakeholders of businesses are constantly seeking to improve the results of their organization's efforts. Yet as we are painfully aware, many fail to achieve the level of performance they seek.Edgar Papke, author of True Alignment, attributes the unsatisfactory results to lack of alignment. He starts the book with a quote, "The key strategic imperative of any business is alignment." He goes on to say, "Most leaders, teams, and companies struggle with alignment because, until now, they lacked an effective and easy-to-apply framework and approach."In True Alignment, Mr. Papke delivers a step-by-step framework to achieve alignment across all segments of a business. Often in books like this, the author focuses on large-scale organizations and it is difficult at times to see how to apply the advice to smaller organizations. Mr. Papke has intentionally included examples of smaller companies and has made the framework applicable "to all businesses regardless of their size, market and origin. This makes this book valuable to any reader, in any role."True alignment means that everything in the business is in alignment - working toward the same goal. The author has developed a process for achieving True Alignment that he has trademarked The Business Code (tm). But before you tackle the steps in The Business Code (tm), you need to understand the human motivation. Humans are motivated by three desires - To feel important, to feel competent and to feel accepted.The components of The Business Code (tm) are:Customer Motivation Attention, Competency and CaringBrand Intention Community, Customization, Preeminence, Low Price Physical Wellbeing, and Personal ActualizationCulture Preference Participation, Expertise and AuthenticityLeadership Preference Participative, Expert and ServantIn the book, Mr. Papke explores in detail each of the components that make up The Business Code. He also shows how misalignment occurs and points out the damage it can do to a business. The largest part of the book is spent discussing Brand Intention and Culture Preference and giving the reader some specific steps to make sure the Brand Intention and the Culture of the organization are in proper alignment.Mr. Papke writes in the style of a consultant or academic. His writing is clear and flows well, it is just written in a more formal business style. There are plenty of real life examples included in book. This serves to bring the concepts to life. In the Appendix, there is a True Alignment Assessment for the reader to take. This is an excellent tool for a leader or consultant to use in determining where there are areas of misalignment in the business.According to Mr. Papke, most businesses suffer from some degree of misalignment. This book will help you determine the areas within your business that may be suffering from misalignment and give you some tools to begin to bring the business into better alignment.I was provided a review copy of this book.

Well written and a must read for any CEO interested in creating a highly optimized, efficient and "best place to work" where everyone involved looks forward to going to work.

Insightful, clear, and a book to get your management team and company on the same sheet of music.

Anyone looking to advance cohesion- be it business/group oriented, will find this book valuable to no end!

Great book diving deep into the human aspects applied to reL business models!

If it were possible to retain Albert Einstein as a consultant to help members of an organization's senior management team to determine its purpose, strategy, and core business, he would probably recommend that everything be made as simple as possible but no simpler, adding "If you cannot explain each of them to a six year-old, you probably don't understand it." I agree him as well as with Edgar Papke that proper alignment is the key to business success. Determining an organization's purpose, strategy, and core business is "the most important conversation" for a business and its stakeholders. "Alignment is the ongoing conversation that leads to success. [begin italics] Alignment is the conversation. [end italics]"In this book, Papke offers a measurable and observable approach to achieving and then sustaining alignment of customer needs with an organization's leadership, culture, and brand intention. This is indeed a major challenge to business leaders. Papke agrees, suggesting, "To confront this challenge, leaders need a systemic framework for understanding, assessing, and creating alignment. They and their teams and organizations require an approach that cuts through the complexity and eliminates the noise from multiple priorities, numerous initiatives, and the confusion of choices and options; an approach that provides a clear and simple roadmap to success."I agree with all that except with the word "simple." If it really were simple, there would be no need for this book, or for any of the other 3,623 books on business alignment that Amazon now offers for sale.These are among the dozens of business subjects and issues of special interest and value to me, also listed to indicate the scope of Papke's coverage.o The Dangers of Misalignment (Pages 2-3)o The Path of Alignment (4-8)o Brand Intentions: Community, Customization, Preeminence, low price, physical wellbeing, and personal actualization (19-20)o Customer Motivation (26-34)o The Customer Experience (36-41)o Customization (49-52)o The Consultative Selling of Preeminence (76-79)o About the Scalable Levels of Alignment (88-90)o Aligning Strategy (95-100)o Confronting Silos, Stovepipes, and Other Misalignments (103-107)o The Twelve Culture Keys (116-140)o The Three Culture Preferences: Participation, Expertise, and Authenticity (146-149)o The Participation Preference (153-157)o The Expertise Preference (157-164)o The Authenticity Preference (170-174)o The Three Preferences of Leaders (184-185)Papke provides a wealth of information, insights, and counsel to guide and inform alignment initiatives. He includes a "True Alignment Assessment" (Pages 207-213) that, if conducted with appropriate rigor, can be -- all by itself -- worth far more than the cost of the book. Readers will also appreciate his citation of dozens of real-world examples from a diverse group of companies that include Apple, Harley-Davidson, Land's End, Mental Health Center of Denver (MHCD), Walmart, and Whole Foods.Here is what he has to say about the alignment approach's four elements, what he characterizes as "The Business Code": Broadly defined, the Customer is anyone involved with and/or affected by the given enterprise; Intention is a determination to complete a thoughtful and effective delivery of whatever is promised; Culture defines how those involved treat one another, the behaviors that define their community; and Leadership, the key to proper alignment at all levels and in all areas, provided by those who personify and exemplify customer centrism, organizational intention, and cultural values.As I re-read this book while preparing to compose this brief commentary, I was again reminded of the extent to which a business resembles a vehicle. To function well, all of its moving parts must work together in proper alignment, performing separate but interdependent functions. Edgar Papke didn't design your "vehicle" but he can help you and your associates to make it run far better than it ever did before. How? By training each of those who read this book to become a master mechanic.

professionnel - une lecture pour nourrir son cadre de référence en tant que coach