George Labovitz

“Vertical alignment implies more than employee compliance with strategy that is set at the top. It's a two-way street. Strategy must be determined by customers, but it must also be informed and shaped by the people who implement it. Employees in the middle of the organization and on the front lines almost always experience greater intimacy with customers
and competitors than do senior managers, and their insights can enrich strategy-but only if they are actively solicited.”
― George Labovitz, The Power of Alignment: How Great Companies Stay Centered and Accomplish Extraordinary Things