Too much alignment
There's an overuse of alignment.
Some of my least favourite corporate phrases are ‘stay in lane’ and ‘let’s align’.
I know they’re meant to create clarity and focus.
But in practice, I’ve often heard the subtext as ‘fall in line’. And instead of creating cohesion in the plan, there was a quieter interpretation being whispered from the teams:
‘Our opinion doesn’t matter. So we’re not on board.’
I can’t count how many times in my career I’ve heard (or repeated) phrases like these in a meeting and felt my stomach tighten.
Not because I didn’t want clarity. Having your ducks in a row feels great 🦆🦆🦆
But because I knew what usually came next wasn’t a conversation but a conclusion.
Because have you noticed how ‘alignment’ can be used as code for ‘agreement’?
Sometimes we rush to align people to strategy instead of first discerning whether the strategy is ready for alignment. Jumping ahead feels good for speed but can quietly silence difference, miss risks, and end up creating compliance, not commitment.
Real alignment should be the outcome of good conversation and clear thinking, not the starting instruction.
And real progress needs some healthy tension.
In my view, one of our roles as a leader is to hold the healthy tension between the now and the next.
To sit in this crunchy space for moments longer than anyone else is prepared to do.
To ask the questions that surface a real discussion.
I don't mean treading the water of indecision or not moving at pace.
But we need to create real change not just maintain the status quo.
As a leader you need to try paint a delicious picture of a future you are not yet in, inspiring people to really come with you and to want to bring it to life.
Not just compliantly execute a plan.
And that means intentionally creating space for dialogue that leads to committed action.
Because without commitment, perhaps people will neatly ‘stay in lane’, but they will also not share honestly, flush out challenges and innovate. Most challenges we face are bigger than needing just one person to dictate a way forward.
If I’m honest, there’s times I’ve stayed quiet because it felt easier than being the awkward voice in the room.
But the cost isn’t just quieter meetings. It’s blind spots, groupthink, and missed opportunities. It doesn’t speed things up in the long run. It just pushes problems underground until they surface louder later.
#Alignment looks tidy. #Progress usually isn't.
So if anything resonates perhaps ask:
- Are we actually bought into this, or are we just done talking about it?
- What’s the risk we just aligned our way past?
- Who have we not heard from yet, who has not spoken, and why?
- Who could help you create space for real dialogue in your team?
Aligning with the LinkedIn post format, these photos show my smug face having aligned these rocks. Before the dog, who was not committed to success, knocked them over. My favourite ever alignment from a store visit.
And the meme tune reality of life 🦆
