How to Create Alignment and Real Focus Inside a Company

Clarity isn’t just a competitive advantage. It’s what keeps teams aligned, focused, and actually moving in the same direction. When a company starts to grow, things get noisy fast. Priorities shift. Ideas pile up. Everyone is busy, but not always busy with the right things.

One of the best tools I’ve used to bring everything back into focus is the OGSM framework: Objectives, Goals, Strategies, and Measures. The whole point of OGSM is simple. Get everything that matters onto one page. Not a long strategy deck. Not a vague annual theme. Just clear priorities the entire company can understand.

Finance and leadership usually help guide the process, but the real power comes when everyone has a voice in shaping it. When people help build the plan, they believe in it. They own it. And they show up differently.

My friend and mentor Dan Sanker used to say, “If it’s on the OGSM, we’re doing more of it. If it’s not on there, we’re not doing it.” It’s a simple rule, but it’s one of the best decision filters I’ve ever used. It forces clarity. It forces alignment. And it prevents teams from chasing priorities that don’t move the business forward.

I’ve seen a lot of companies try to be everything to everyone. Even great products can’t pull that off. Focus and alignment matter more than people think. OGSM gives a company direction, guardrails, and goals people can rally around. It also builds real buy-in. When teams know exactly what winning looks like, they show up ready to win.

If you use OGSM or a similar alignment framework, I’d love to hear what’s worked well for you.