The leader-aligned vs. the self-aligned team

Reader,

As a CEO, I learned it was my job to align my team and organization. So I went about it using the standard playbook:

• Set a clear context (mission, vision, values)
• Make sure everyone could articulate our strategies
• Define specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, time-bound goals
• Developing reliable structures and processes

But it felt like a constant, never-ending battle.

I felt like a broken record—repeating our vision and values over and over until I was tired of hearing myself talk.

I thought we were aligned.

Then one day, our team met to set goals—and I was surprised by the questions that surfaced:

And I thought, Really? Haven’t we been talking about this for months? How are you still not clear?

That was the moment I realized:

I needed to go about this another way.

Having a voice.

So we started at the very beginning of the sentence. Together, we re-answered every one of those questions.

What emerged wasn’t radically different from the mission, vision, and values I’d been repeating all along.

But one critical thing had changed:

They knew it in their bones.​
Because they helped create it.
More than that, they could speak it for themselves.

Alignment isn’t alignment unless everyone is aligned.

Obvious, yes? But I had to reflect deeply on what made me clear in the first place.

It came down to this:
I had worked hard to understand the context well enough that I could say it clearly, concisely, and confidently.

Then, it naturally flowed into everything I did.

The missing ingredient.

How can a team member, board member, investor, or stakeholder be wholly aligned if they haven’t made the vision their own?

If they can’t say it, then how can it change how they think, decide, and act?

I’m not sure it can.

Don’t get me wrong—many leaders have built highly successful companies through a top-down, systemized approach. It works.

But I wonder…
Will it work in the future?
Is it the best way for the times we live in now?

An Era of Change

We’re living in an era where variables are exponential, and complexity is intractable—beyond our ability to predict or control.

Add to that the speed of change, and it’s clear:

Teams must be responsive, adaptable, and resilient—on their own accord.

They must know how to align themselves, so the decisions they make are inherently aligned.

And often, there’s just no time to wait around for clarity or direction from the top.

Think about the cost of waiting:

• Inaction.
• Indecision.
• Bottlenecks.
• Burnout for the person who has to make every decision.

What kind of team do you need?

There’s a strong case for building a different kind of team: a self-aligning team.

One where people know how to:

• Understand context and create clarity for themselves
• Discern how the context informs the decision they’re facing
• Recognize what aligned decisions look like
• Respond in the moment with clarity and agency​

In other words, we need entrepreneurial teams.

What does it mean to be entrepreneurial?

You can:

• Ignite your energy, because you know who you are and how to contribute your best
• Sustain your energy, because you know how to create the conditions to thrive
• Amplify your impact, because you know where and when you need others
• Find fulfillment, because you know how to make an impact
• Go the distance, because you know what it takes to be (and stay) a team
• Direct your momentum, because you know how to be aligned
• Respond in the moment, because you know how to make decisions
• Adapt, change, and progress, because you know how to think strategically
• Get unstuck, because you know how to be a catalyst for yourself and others

This kind of team is worth building.

Not just for performance—but because it’s necessary for the era we’re in.

So before you focus on how to build a team like this, start with why it matters:

• What kind of team do you have now?
• What’s working? What’s not?
• How is this era of change and complexity impacting your results?
• What kind of team do you need next?
• And why does that matter now?

I’d love to hear how you’re thinking about this question.
Reply any time. I read every note!

Enjoy,
Sara

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