True Alignment

October 28, 2013
Speaker and executive coach Papke has written a small book that make two big claims for being first: “the first time a comprehensive framework is provided for exploring in a simple way how we all participate in the art of business” and “the first book to provide a measurable and observable approach to aligning the customer to a company’s culture and what makes this distinctive relationship work.” Papke’s approach, The Business Code™, is based on four prongs: the customer, brand intention, culture, and leadership. Though Papke’s thoughts on working through brand recipes—the nitty-gritty of what you want to promise your customer, through goods or services—are solid, more in-depth explorations of customer acquisition and retention, team alignment with a company’s higher goals, aligning cultures, and effective alignment actions simply parrot existing wisdom. The book is a respectable try, but trademarking a commonly understood business need like alignment does not turn it into a revolution.