We have discussed elsewhere the important role that conversations play in the well-being of teams; in connecting what is important for a team to the trustworthy agreements, decisions and commitments that propel the team forward. Today we are going to look at the alignment conversation.

Alignment
What do we mean by alignment? How would you know whether the alignment wheels are about to come off for your team and what might you do about it?

Teams are established to take care of something someone needs – we call them a customer. The team leader is the point of contact with the customer, and they need to be on the same page and in sync with what is required. Sometimes this is straightforward but often requirements are complex or require significant effort to achieve them.

If a homeowner is to be satisfied with their new house, then it will need to be built to a specification that everyone involved has agreed to. Often this requires negotiation, for example when the ideal outcome for the customer is not possible, especially when there is a budget and timeframe to consider. In many situations, there are multiple customers whose requirements will need to be reconciled. My wife and I have very different ideas of our ideal home! Once agreement is reached then this will need to be documented in some way – for example with a contract.

Once the team has been assembled, everyone on the team needs to have the same view as to what is required, otherwise they will be pulling in different directions – knowingly or unknowingly.

We want team members with a variety of ideas about what should be done and how. Successful teams will have had the conversation that reconciles the different desires and opinions of each team member with the overall goal of the team and made a clear commitment to work in that direction.

Alignment is a conversation that ensures everyone on the team understands, and has played a part in, creating the team’s overall purpose, the outcomes and the values that will guide the work of the team.

Warning Signs
It is tempting to jump straight in and get started on the ‘real’ work of the team, and it may work with groups of like-minded individuals – but it is a serious risk. You may start to see some of the following:

• A lack of communication between the team leader and the customer.
• The customer frequently changing her/his mind or is not realistic about what can be achieved.
• The team leader and individual team members have different views as to what success looks like resulting in different priorities.
• Performance standards consistent with achieving the team’s vision are missing.
• A lack of commitment by team members to the actions needed to move the team forward.
• Lack of clarity or specificity on the detailed actions required of team members.

What might you do?
If this has happened to your team, it may not be too late. Here are some steps you could take:

• Document the key results required of the team, together with any agreed changes.
  Ensure team “buy-in” by asking each team member to describe the goal of the team in their own words and why it is important to them.
• Initiate progress meetings with the customer(s), for the remainder of the project, to review progress, discuss major challenges encountered and what the team is doing to resolve them.
• Brief the whole team on any unexpected events, major issues and customer feedback.
• Have a team briefing whenever anyone new joins the team to provide them with the background, context and rationale for the team’s goal.

This conversation never goes away!
Even though your team started out all pointing in the same direction, life will always intervene! Customers change their minds, or have new ideas, budgetary and unanticipated problems may throw you off track, team members leave, and new ones join. This conversation is ongoing, and alignment needs to be checked periodically – just as you do with a car when you notice uneven wear on the tires.

Learn more

Richard works with leaders and teams seeking a performance edge. He can be reached at: richard@pathwaysofgrowth.com.

To get started on improving your team’s conversations, view Pathways of Growth’s current offerings.