If a leadership team is not aligned or loses cohesion over time, they can’t keep their organization aligned, which is the foundation for effective execution. Indeed, Integrated Project Management’s (IPM) exclusive research finds that aligned executive teams are three times as likely to report increasing revenue than those who are not fully aligned.
However, leaders often think they are aligned, but they are not. They may leave their retreat or annual planning session with a plan they agree to in theory. But when day-to-day reality sets in, they prioritize their own functional work, pet project, or bonus potential. Leadership teams must commit, explicitly and continuously, to shared priorities, collaborative behaviors, and strategic tradeoffs.
And even those with the best of intentions can become misaligned over time. And the signs aren’t always obvious. So how can you tell if your leadership team is aligned?
IPM has developed a short, 10-question self-assessment to evaluate your own team—whether it’s the organization’s executive team, the functional department heads who must collaborate, the group of leaders responsible for a major initiative, or any other team of leaders—on the common signs of misalignment. Along the way, there are some best practices to maintain alignment with your peers.
Leadership teams who objectively assess their alignment with each other as part of a deliberate commitment are more likely to stay aligned and reap the benefits of a unified organization.
Start your Leadership Team Alignment Assessment.
For more information on the benefits of staying aligned, as well as some best practices of highly aligned leadership teams, download “You’re Not as Aligned as You Think You Are.”