One of the core responsibilities of every leader is to align their colleagues for critical initiatives. This could sometimes result in never-ending debates during the decision making process. Alignment is all about effective execution by ensuring engagement and involvement from others. Unlike consensus which essentially means to choose the option that no one objects to, alignment generates real commitment from the stakeholders by discussing every relevant aspect.
I prefer to go into alignment meetings, after having done the pre-work to create a proposal (or a decision). In this case, the decision you make becomes the starting point for the alignment. You first decide what is to be done and then communicate the what, why and how of the decision to the relevant stakeholders to generate alignment.
True alignment stems from the ability to discuss every aspect of the decision and pursue the agreed upon direction collectively. Remember that the outcome may not always be that everyone agrees to your decision. Sometimes when there is disagreement, you may need to drive teams to “disagree and commit” if you strongly believe that your decision (or the modified decision, after the debate) is the right way to go.
How do you drive alignment?
Here are some guiding principles that can help you drive alignment:
Get all the stakeholders in one place and discuss the what, when and why of the decision.
Get feedback and listen to what others have to say about the decision. Always build on other people’s thoughts and ideas. Don’t reject other’s ideas until and unless you have evaluated them fairly.
Be humble enough and intellectually honest to change your decision if you get relevant inputs.
Ask transparently for people to commit to the decision.
If you find a lack of alignment, even after a healthy debate has taken place, propose a “disagree and commit” if you continue to believe in the proposal under discussion.
Define clear ownership for the execution process. Everyone should know what is expected out of them.
Keep periodic check-ins to assess progress and ensure continued alignment.
Like almost all strategic conversations, the alignment conversation also has to be planned and thought through. Try not to get lost in the “endless” debates and discussions, hold your ground, modify your proposal if you hear relevant inputs and drive genuine commitment to the decision.
Driving alignment can be a tough and a taxing process, but it pays to have everyone’s steadfast commitment to a cause. Everyone might not agree with you but when they are aligned, it means that there is enough trust and maturity to work towards the common goal and outcome.
Do you think alignment is more important than consensus? How do you drive alignment in your team?