The Cost of Misalignment

Have you ever been in a situation where all the stars seemed to be aligned for success — but the success didn't materialize? You had a talented set of people, a great idea, and a strong brand. And yet things never quite got off the ground.

You know what happens next: Everyone tries to explain what didn't work and why. Marketing thinks it was because the advertising budget was too small. Development thinks it was because the technology was old. IT thinks it was because the branding was poor. And executives aren't sure what to think.

Often in situations like these, we find the real reason is a lack of alignment. In other words, the problem wasn't the end result — the problem was different intentions at the outset. Growing, dynamic, and vibrant organizations come from aligned, whole people. Small disagreements about purpose among a team can create dramatically different mindsets. And when everyone is designing something different, nothing effective gets designed at all. 

As a part of Plenty’s ongoing video series, Plenty’s co-leaders Jeff Shuck and Jennifer Mulholland discuss the importance of alignment to both personal and organizational growth, and introduce the Five Keys to Transformational Growth.

Jennifer Mulholland and Jeff Shuck, Co-Leaders of Plenty, discuss the importance of organizational alignment at the Classy Collaborative in Boston in June 2017.