Help your team cross the threshold beyond A-B

Your team’s been focused on getting from A to B, but with the right alignment and a shift in thinking, something far better could be within reach.

There’s something fascinating about leadership teams. They’re made up of talented people, each with their own skills and ambitions, but often, they don’t seem to be quite in sync. In fact, it’s not unusual to find teams where people are pulling in different directions, perhaps even competing with each other, rather than working together towards a common goal.

Often, leadership teams are also narrow-sighted—they focus on moving from A to B—creating rigid plans to hit specific targets. But when something unexpected comes along, they come unstuck, because their plans and ways of thinking are inflexible.

Now, I’m not suggesting that your team is like this (although, if we’re being honest, it might be). What I am suggesting is that, sometimes, making just a small shift—something that seems almost insignificant at first—can lead to a much bigger impact down the line.

So, how do you take a leadership team that’s maybe a bit disjointed, maybe a bit distracted and inflexible, and turn it into a cohesive, high-performing unit ready to adapt to new opportunities? Well, it starts with alignment. Let me explain.

Why alignment matters: getting everyone on the same page

I’ve spent a fair bit of time with leadership teams, and there’s one thing I’ve noticed—when people aren’t aligned, the whole thing can fall apart pretty quickly. It’s like trying to row a boat where half the team’s rowing forwards and the other half’s going backwards. The boat doesn’t move much—in fact it often goes round in circles—and everyone gets pretty frustrated.

Alignment is about making sure everyone knows where you’re going and how you’re going to get there. It sounds simple, but you’d be surprised how often teams get it wrong. One person’s focused on growth, another’s worrying about operational efficiency, and someone else is wondering why there’s no milk in the fridge.

Getting your team aligned isn’t always about grand gestures or revolutionary ideas. It’s often about small, deliberate moves—like making time for regular check-ins, bringing everyone together for offsites, and having those honest, sometimes uncomfortable, conversations.

When you’re aligned, you’re not just rowing—you’re all rowing in the same direction.

What alignment brings to the table:

• Clarity: Everyone knows what’s happening and where they fit into it.

• Efficiency: No more time wasted on duplicated efforts or miscommunication.

• Motivation: When everyone’s on the same page, it creates a sense of purpose.

• Accountability: People actually know what they’re supposed to be doing, which makes it easier to hold them to it.

Alignment isn’t just about solving today’s challenges—it’s about preparing your team for the opportunities that lie ahead. When everyone’s on the same page, it creates the space for creative thinking and experimentation. And that’s where the real potential lies—not just in reaching your current goals, but in discovering the bigger, better outcomes you couldn’t see before. That’s where something called B-prime comes in.