7 signs that point to lack of alignment

Picture a long boat with a row of people down each side – each handling a single oar.

If those people aren’t rowing at the same pace and in the same direction, that boat is going to go around in circles or go nowhere at all.

But if you get your rowers coordinated – rowing in the same direction and at the same pace – you’ll achieve alignment and the boat will move forward and gain speed.

The same is true in business.

A strong sense of alignment is vital when it comes to helping your team stay focused and doing their best work.

When your organization is well-aligned, everyone’s daily actions all contribute to your longer-term goals and vision. Your people are all rowing in the same direction.

As your business grows, team alignment becomes increasingly hard to attain.

What happens when you don’t have alignment?

In a nutshell: dysfunction.

More specifically, each of the following are signs that your company is lacking in alignment.

How many of these are happening in your organization?

1. People and teams setting their own goals

People want to do a good job at work, but they can’t do that when they don’t know the direction.

When it is unclear what people are working towards – teams and individuals will define it for themselves.

2. Poor decision making and lack of empowerment

There is restricted transparency to the goals of the business. Information and decisions are controlled by an individual or a limited few.

3. Low trust and lack of accountability

A poorly aligned organization often creates an environment of recrimination and fear of repercussions of not “going along to get along”

4. Conflicts over priorities and resources (money and people)

This leads to disharmony and people fighting for what they believe is right – and in the process making the other person wrong.

5. Work feels hard, there’s a lack of progress & productivity

Without alignment, competition often turns internal instead of external.

The team feels as though they must fight to move projects forward. This takes a lot of energy and leads to people feeling exhausted.

There’s a feeling of taking 2 steps forward and 4 steps back – as soon as you feel you’ve made some progress, someone thwarts it.

6. Workplace drama

Without aligned goals to focus on, employees start gossiping about others and creating tension and rumors.

Ultimately, this creates an environment where people don’t want to stay.

7. Losing people

People want to do work they’re proud of and feel like they’re part of a winning team. There is no way to win without alignment.

Does your company have good alignment practices?

Are you able to keep employees engaged with the priorities of the business? Or do you find that priorities are confusing or in disagreement?

If alignment is a challenge in your organization, check out our free training below or book a call with an advisor.