If you asked every member of your team to describe your current goal, would you get the same answer from all of them?
Many leaders think they have alignment, only to find out too late that everyone is working toward a different destination.
Alignment means your entire team shares the same understanding of three things: What needs to be done, Why it matters, and Who is responsible. When all three are clear, your team’s energy flows in the same direction. When they aren’t, you get friction, wasted effort, and frustration. As Yogi Berra once said: “If you don’t know where you are going, you might not get there.”
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Real stories. Hard lessons. No fluff.
Clarify the “What”
The “What” is your destination.
One of the simplest ways to define it is with a one-page project charter that outlines the objective, timeline, resources, and roles. I’ve seen projects fail simply because no one captured the intended outcome.
Conversely, I’ve seen high-stakes redesigns succeed because everyone had the same clear, written goal.
Amazon builds alignment by writing a Press Release and FAQ before development starts. They first did this with the Kindle, which took 3 years to develop. Can you imagine pushing on something for three years only to find out you were aimed in the wrong direction??
Amazon was clearly pushing in the right direction – the first Kindle sold out in 5.5 hours. They did this by getting everyone aligned on a Press Release explaining all the amazing features the product will have, before they ever started.
As Stephen Covey says: Begin with the end in mind.
Connect the “Why”
The “Why” is the purpose — the reason the work matters.
In 1961, President John F. Kennedy declared the United States should commit to landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth before the decade was out.
As the story goes, he later visited NASA and asked a custodian what he was doing. “I’m helping to put a man on the moon,” came the reply. That single, clear statement united 400,000 people behind one consequential vision.
The Why creates personal purpose, shared purpose, and a lens for every decision.
Identify the “Who”
Ownership matters as much as the task itself. Be as clear on who owns the work as you are on what it is.
Give a task to everybody and you’ve given it to nobody. Apple calls this the Directly Responsible Individual. Amazon calls it the Single-Threaded Leader. Whatever you call it, whether you’re delegating to an individual or a business unit, define both the owner and the bounds of their authority.
Give a task to everybody and ytou’ve given ti to nobody.
Examples in Action
The Grocery Store:
Last November, I went shopping with my brother for Thanksgiving. His 11-year-old glided through the crowded aisles on her heelies, turning heads. Normally, a packed store is tedious. But this trip was for our favorite holiday, his first year hosting in his new home with all our siblings and our dad there.
The garlic, goat cheese, and cranberries were destined for his famous stuffing.
It became one of my most treasured memories — especially knowing now that it was the last Thanksgiving of our youngest brother who died from cancer nine months later. But today we have this shared memory in the grocery store, a trip that would have been forgettable were it not for shared purpose.
This is the power of the Why.
Jiminy Peak Ski Resort:
Jiminy Peak is a small regional ski resort in Western Massachusetts.
The resort has a “Why” in the form of a vision statement:
“Jiminy Peak strongly believes in preserving the Earth for future generations”
In 2007, they invested $4 million — 20% of annual revenue — in a 386-foot wind turbine. This investment is 20% of their annual revenue – a major investment indeed. Why outlay this cash? Well – it moves Jiminy towards their vision of sustainability but cutting 7.1 million pounds of CO2 from the atmosphere. But that’s not all.
The wind turbine also saves $1 million a year in electricity, delivering business results right to the bottom line.
When Jiminy renovated a bathroom, they chose flushless urinals. Toilets are not usually strategically relevant – they aren’t usually selected by the CEO. But, Jiminy Peak believes in preserving the earth for future generations and 12 flushless urinals save 480,000 gallons of water every year.
And 480,000 gallons of water is enough to make 27 inches of snow on an acre of land. Talk about business results.
Every project passes through the lens of their vision, benefiting both the environment and the business.
The Cost of Misalignment:
Picture two people trying to move a table without agreeing on the direction. Frustration rises, energy is wasted, and little progress is made.
That’s what happens when teams aren’t aligned.
That is most teams…
The Risk of Assumption
A common but flawed belief is: “If I hire good people, they’ll figure it out without me spelling it out.”
Even the most talented people can work against each other if they’re aiming at different targets. Great people need great clarity. NASA’s Moonshot worked not because they hired geniuses and left them to guess, but because everyone knew the exact mission. In any industry, the difference is leadership.
Your Next Step
Ask each member of your team, “What’s our number one goal right now?” Compare their answers. If they match, you’ve got alignment. If not, you’ve found your opportunity to lead. If you want to go further, ask your peers and your boss the same question.
Alignment isn’t a one-time event; it’s a continuous practice. Clarify the What, connect the Why, and name the Who — and you’ll watch your team move faster, with less friction, toward the same goal.
