After 30+ years in talent management, leadership development, and consulting, I’ve learned that real organizational success hinges on one thing: treating people as the engine for strategy, not just as resources. As Managing Partner at The Christopher Group, this principle guides my daily work with clients across industries, from the factory floor to the executive suite. In today’s unpredictable world – rising costs, digital disruption, changing workforce expectations – getting people strategy right isn’t a “nice-to-have.” It’s table stakes.
So, what does alignment look like for those of us in the trenches? Let’s break down how organizations can practically connect their people strategy to business goals, avoid common missteps, and drive engagement that lasts.
Why Alignment Works (and Disengagement Hurts)
In the real world, strategy that lives on a slide deck doesn’t move the needle. I see it all the time: smart leaders set bold objectives, but if the people strategy is bolted on as an afterthought, engagement tanks. Employees then treat work as a transaction, not a mission. But when people can connect their daily work to the bigger picture, everything changes. Morale climbs. Ideas flow. Productivity spikes.
I’ve run engagement surveys and pulse checks for decades. The results are always clear: companies where employees see how their work ladders up to the mission show higher engagement, lower burnout, and more stickiness. This isn’t theory. Its hard data matched with lived experience. And it translates to better business outcomes, including stronger customer satisfaction and profitability.
Where Companies Go Wrong
Here’s where things usually break:
- Siloed Strategy: Leadership crafts a vision, but HR is left out of the loop, stuck delivering headcount and compliance.
- Translation Failure: Frontline teams have no clue how lofty goals connect to their jobs (“What’s that got to do with me?”).
- Old Habits: Some companies cling to outdated people practices that just don’t flex with the pace of business today.
- Data Blindness: Annual engagement surveys are treated as a checkbox, missing out on leading indicators like voluntary turnover or real-time feedback.
Sound familiar? These are fixable, if we get intentional.
What Actually Works: Lessons from the Field
Here’s what I do, and advise others to do, to make alignment real and sustainable:
- Start All Strategy With People: Bring HR and key people leaders into business planning from day one. Don’t tack on talent issues after decisions have been made. Build your growth or turnaround plan together.
- Connect the Dots, Literally: Use tools like cascading goals and impact mapping to make sure every employee knows how their work supports the bigger mission. I’ve run purpose alignment sessions with teams, mapping individual values to company objectives, engagement jumps every time.
- Make Development a Non-Negotiable: Learning isn’t just about compliance. Invest in upskilling, mentorship, and growth projects that tie back to strategy. When employees see you investing in them, loyalty follows.
- Talk (and Listen) Constantly: Transparent, two-way communication, especially during changes, is vital. Hold regular town halls, celebrate wins that tie directly to strategy, and actually use feedback from pulse checks and stay interviews.
- Measure What Matters: Go beyond lagging indicators. Track internal mobility, goal progress, and real-time sentiment. Adjust your approach fast, don’t wait for annual reviews to change course.
In practice, I’ve seen companies boost engagement scores by 25-30% and hit strategic goals months ahead of schedule by sticking to this playbook.
Why It Pays Off
When these things are done, alignment doesn’t just support business strategy, it powers it. Employees are invested, innovation thrives, and teams adapt rapidly. You get a culture where people are not just compliant but committed. In tight labor markets or times of uncertainty, that’s your edge.
Every organization has room to improve alignment. Start by looking in the mirror, does your people strategy truly serve your business goals? Pull your HR team into the next executive meeting. Hold a session where every leader can clearly answer, “How does my team move the mission?” And most importantly, close the loop with employees regularly.
These aren’t tactics you try once. This is what practitioners do every day to build resilient, high-performing workplaces. If any of these resonate or you want to bounce ideas around, drop me a note. Let’s shape organizations where people and purpose move forward together.
About Tobin Anselmi
Tobin Anselmi joined The Christopher Group Consulting Services Division in 2020 as a Managing Partner & Talent Management Practice Leader. Tobin holds a Ph.D. in I/O Psychology. Over the last 30+ years, Tobin has served as a consultant to organizational leadership on human capital management issues such as talent management (selection, performance management, development, and movement), organizational effectiveness, change management, and leadership development. He is direct, engaging, and result-oriented. His practical recommendations to organizational issues are grounded in years of experience developing and implementing solutions around the globe. To learn more about Tobin visit his bio page.