Learn some powerful questions that can help you as a leadership development coach to align your client's vision with their organization's culture and values.

While a company's culture is not easy to define, its values are. These should be clear, easy to understand and few (typically around five or so). These values should be prominently displayed and often talked about, especially by the organization's leaders whose actions should also clearly support them. The ongoing practice of these values eventually will become the foundation of the company's culture. The difference is that values are simple, easy to understand and observable while culture is a more abstract concept that combines many other variables that makes is harder to define but nevertheless recognizable when you see it in action.

What questions can you ask to align a leader's vision with their organization's culture and values?

As a leadership development coach, you want to help your clients create a clear and compelling vision for their role and their team. But how do you ensure that their vision aligns with their organization's culture and values? In this article, you will learn some powerful questions that can help you and your clients explore this alignment and identify any gaps or opportunities for improvement.

1 Why alignment matters

Alignment is the degree of congruence between a leader's vision and the organization's culture and values. When there is alignment, the leader can leverage the strengths and resources of the organization, inspire trust and commitment from their stakeholders, and foster a sense of belonging and purpose among their team members. When there is misalignment, the leader may face resistance, confusion, conflict, or disengagement from their organization, which can undermine their effectiveness and impact.

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2 What is your vision?

The initial step to connecting a leader's vision with their organization's culture and values is to assist them in expressing their vision. A vision is an animated and motivating picture of the wanted future state that the leader wants to establish or contribute to. To help your clients craft their vision, you can ask them the following questions: what is the ultimate goal or outcome they want to achieve in their role or with their team? How will they measure their success and progress towards their vision? What are the advantages and value of their vision for themselves, their team, their organization, and their customers or stakeholders? How does their vision align with their personal values and passions? What are the essential actions and behaviors that will enable them to bring their vision to fruition?

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3 What is the organization's culture and values?

The next step is to assist your clients in comprehending their organization's culture and values. Culture is composed of shared beliefs, norms, and practices that shape how people think, feel, and act. Values are the core principles or standards that guide decisions, actions, and behaviors. To assess their organization's culture and values, you can ask questions such as: what three words would describe the organization's culture? What are its mission, vision, and values? How are the values communicated and demonstrated by leaders and employees? What are the expectations for performance, collaboration, innovation, and communication? And how does your client fit into the organization's culture and values? What are their strengths and areas of development in relation to them?

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Rod Ibieta Ph.D.
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While a company's culture is not easy to define, its values are. These should be clear, easy to understand and few (typically around five or so). These values should be prominently displayed and often talked about, especially by the organization's leaders whose actions should also clearly support them. The ongoing practice of these values eventually will become the foundation of the company's culture. The difference is that values are simple, easy to understand and observable while culture is a more abstract concept that combines many other variables that makes is harder to define but nevertheless recognizable when you see it in action.

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4 How do you align your vision with the organization's culture and values?

The final step is to help your clients align their vision with their organization's culture and values. This doesn't mean conforming or compromising, but rather finding a way to use the organization's culture and values to support and enhance the vision. To do this, you can ask questions such as: how does the vision support or complement the mission, vision, and values of the organization? How can you use the culture and values as a source of inspiration and motivation? How can you communicate and demonstrate your vision in a way that resonates with the organization's culture and values? Additionally, how can you involve and engage your team, peers, leaders, and other stakeholders in your vision? Lastly, how can you adjust your vision to address any potential challenges or gaps with the organization's culture and values?

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5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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What questions can you ask to align a leader's vision with their organization's culture and values?

1

2

3

4

5

1 Why alignment matters

2 What is your vision?

3 What is the organization's culture and values?

4 How do you align your vision with the organization's culture and values?

5 Here’s what else to consider

Leadership Development Coaching

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What questions can you ask to align a leader's vision with their organization's culture and values?

1

2

3

4

5

1 Why alignment matters

2 What is your vision?

3 What is the organization's culture and values?

4 How do you align your vision with the organization's culture and values?

5 Here’s what else to consider

Leadership Development Coaching

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