How To Build Team Alignment

Team alignment can make or break the success of any team. But many leaders struggle with how to build team alignment and so just assume that smooth running meetings and responsive teammates means team alignment. But that can be a big mistake, because even a small misalignment in the beginning can compound and create a devastating project breakdown.

Team alignment is a bit like the flight plan created by airplane crews before takeoff. Being a few degrees off course when leaving New York for Los Angeles might not seem like much, but over time those few degrees compound and can result in touching down in San Francisco, or Seattle, or the Pacific Ocean.

In this episode, we’ll outline four simple questions that can build team alignment and help create a team where everyone aspires to the same goal, knows their role in achieving that goal, and trusts their teammates to deliver on their roles as well.

0:00 Introduction
1:28 What do we intend to achieve?
2:32 Who will do what?
3:38 What resources do we need?
4:52 What could prevent us from succeeding
6:07 Conclusion

As you can tell from looking at these four questions, alignment isn’t a linear process. The answers to later questions will likely trigger the need to re-ask earlier questions. That’s okay. Because the circular nature of these questions mirrors the circular nature of project management. The difference is that these questions force teams to plan for resource constraints and setbacks now instead of finding them weeks or months into the project. Making a plan for those obstacles now is what keeps teams aligned. It’s what keeps them knowing the ultimate goal and their role in it. And that helps everyone the team do their best work ever.

//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER
If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources

//ABOUT DAVID
One of the world’s leading business thinkers, David Burkus’ forward-thinking ideas and bestselling books are helping leaders and teams do their best work ever.

He is the best-selling author of four books about business and leadership. His books have won multiple awards and have been translated into dozens of languages. His insights on leadership and teamwork have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, USAToday, Fast Company, the Financial Times, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, CNN, the BBC, NPR, and CBS This Morning. Since 2017, Burkus has been ranked as one of the world’s top business thought leaders by Thinkers50. As a sought-after international speaker, his TED Talk has been viewed over 2 million times. He’s worked with leaders from organizations across all industries including Google, Stryker, Fidelity, Viacom, and even the US Naval Academy.

A former business school professor, Burkus holds a master’s degree in organizational psychology from the University of Oklahoma, and a doctorate in strategic leadership from Regent University.

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//MUSIC
"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com