Alignment is one of the greatest corporate buzzwords, right up there with “synergy” and “circle back”. I’ve found it’s used so often that leaders can forget that it’s a legitimately useful idea to keep in mind, and it’s also pretty essential for leading teams and initiatives.
What is Alignment, and Why is it Important?
Alignment is the force that gets teams moving in the same direction. The dictionary definition is
the act of aligning or state of being aligned
especially: the proper positioning or state of adjustment of parts (as of a mechanical or electronic device) in relation to each other
Merriam-Webster Dictionary
This is, of course, a very rigid definition. But as much as we hear it in the workplace, we often don’t talk on why alignment is truly important or what it means in regards to people.
Alignment in regards to people is the result of addressing emotional blockers, and you need alignment to move against a task with the full unified force that a group can muster.
Cars, Trains, Planes, and Cross-Functional Teams
In my past year leading cross-functional monetization initiatives, everyone has had an opinion on how to approach things. Marketing has an opinion on timeline and branding risks. Sales has an opinion on rep comp, how monetization dampens their ability to sell to new customers, and how changes to our product or marketing slow them down. Product has an opinion about how the overall product fits together, and what the end experience is like for customers. And of course Finance, the CEO, and Legal are all heavily invested in minimizing risks, increasing profit, and serving our shareholders.
This is the dynamic in just about every significant work environment I’ve been a part of, and while some situations require more cross-functional work than others, the first lesson of alignment is, the more interests are involved, the greater the need for alignment becomes.
Alignment Lesson #1
The more interests that are involved, the greater the need for alignment becomes.
This lesson seems simple on its face but we lose sight of it often in the desire to move fast. I consistently have to remind myself of my car, when the front-end alignment is off. If I let go of the steering wheel, the car gradually drifts to the side, and eventually hits a curb or a wall – the car stops altogether. But the other side of this is once alignment is off for my car, I spend a lot more energy and effort keeping the steering wheel straight down the road. It also wears down my tires more quickly.
We don’t imagine planes and trains to be misaligned, or misdirected. We know there’s great physical risk to a plane not being on track to its destination. Trains literally have tracks to keep the system moving straight to its destination (while avoiding obstacles).
But in very complex initiatives or organizations, you have a greater need for train-like alignment than in simpler situations. 4 wheels are easier to get back on track than 30 wheels, or more than 500 wheels. And the same can be said for human systems, particularly when people move in and out of context on a regular basis.
Active Alignment is More Important When People Are Shifting Contexts
Alignment is more important when people are facing different facts and interests in a situation. Most people are not spending their entire time focused on a task that requires alignment and high coordination. It’s usually on top of other priorities, or a day job, or a night job.
As such, alignment usually requires getting on the same page about at least one of three things:
- The Priorities
- The Definitions
- The Facts
The Priorities
Alignment tends to happen around the priorities early. But it’s important to drive alignment around the priorities continuously – not just once.
The Definitions
This includes the assumptions, the terms, and the context that individuals bring to a group, and this is where alignment in my experience most often breaks down.
The Facts
This is where people usually start when they talk about driving alignment. “We improved 8% since last year.” “We collected $650 already.” “There are still 17 days until arrival.” This works well when there’s a good deal of understanding and agreement on the Priorities and the Definitions. What I’ve found is that people often assume that there’s alignment around the Priorities and the Definitions, and run into issues because the Facts are poorly defined, or just not aligned to the Priorities or the context.
Nobody Wants to Align
Alignment is costly to develop. This isn’t just about conflict, or persuasion. It requires time, diplomacy, and a deep empathy for other stakeholders’ needs and next steps. It’s easy to drift off track naturally, and hard to maintain. It’s important to do these things, even though people don’t want to align:
- Start Conversations around Priorities, Definitions, and Data Early
- Keep having these conversations consistently
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