The Hard Part of Alignment

A pen and dry erase marker, both with unique and admirable qualities, yet out of alignment.

Alignment sounds simple.

You gather capable leaders in a room to clarify the goals and outline the vision for the next chapter. The strategy makes sense, and priorities are agreed upon. Everyone wants to move forward.

Yet, even with the head nods, something feels slightly off. It’s subtle, there’s a sense that what's being agreed to hasn’t yet been fully processed personally.

The hard part of alignment isn’t intellectual.

It’s personal.

When a leadership team enters a new chapter, expanding ownership, formalizing structure, or redefining direction, the conversation isn’t just about strategy. It’s about identity.

Who am I now in this version of the firm?

What does this mean for how I’ve always operated?

Where does my voice really fit?

What, exactly, do I have to give up so this works?

Those questions rarely make it onto the agenda, but they shape the room far more than any slide deck ever will.

Alignment at this stage rarely breaks down because people disagree on the destination. Most teams can describe it clearly: growth, expansion, greater impact, a more durable organization.

The traits that built the current chapter, autonomy, decisiveness, and ownership, are often the very traits that must evolve for the next one to succeed. Habits that once propelled performance begin to impede it.

Change always costs something.

A bit of control.

The comfort of a familiar process.

An unspoken understanding of influence or status.

This isn't dysfunction. It’s transition.

Strategic alignment is straightforward.

Emotional alignment takes longer. It reveals what people are holding onto and whether it still fits where they say they’re going.

Moving forward together demands more than shared ambition. It demands leaders willing to evolve as the organization evolves.

The hard part of alignment isn’t agreeing on the direction.

It’s becoming the leader that direction requires.