Have you ever had a great vision for your team or your organisation, only to see it fall apart when it’s time to execute?
You’re not alone.
Believe it or not, one of the biggest frustrations for leaders, whether senior or mid-level, is
the disconnect between strategy and execution.
Senior leaders set the direction, but somehow, when it reaches the teams doing the work, things
get lost in translation.
That is where leadership alignment comes in.
The truth is, if leadership at all levels are not moving in the same direction, you don’t get
results. What you get is confusion, wasted effort, and frustration.
Thankfully, I have a solution. It’s called “The Leadership Alignment Pyramid”. A simple yet powerful way to ensure everyone–from senior leadership to front line teams–is moving in the same direction to achieve the same outcome.
The Leadership Alignment Pyramid
Imagine leadership alignment as a three-level pyramid, with each layer playing a critical role:
1.) Direction and Strategic Priorities (Senior Leadership): Clarifying where the organisation is going and what matters most.
2.) Operational Execution (Middle Leadership): Turning strategy into structured plans and making things happen.
3.) Tactical Implementation (Front-line Leadership and Teams): Taking aligned actions with clarity, focus, and precision. When all three levels are properly aligned, you get intentional activity that matches the clearly defined direction/vision.
Level 1: Direction and Strategic Priorities (Senior Leadership)
At the top of the pyramid, we have the senior leaders who are responsible for setting the big picture direction. Many senior leaders make a mistake here though: they assume that setting the vision/big picture is enough. But, it’s not.
A strong vision needs to be:
▪︎ Crystal clear: No fluff, jargon, or complexity. If your mid-level leaders don’t know what it means, then it’s vague.
▪︎ Actionable: It’s not just about using inspiring words. It’s about whether or not it can be translated into strategic priorities.
▪︎ Useful: Can it be integrated into daily leadership? If it sits in a PowerPoint slide and doesn’t shape decisions, it’s useless.
Where things break down: Leaders say the vision once (maybe at a big team meeting) and they expect mid-level leaders to figure it out. What usually happens as a result is; disconnect between intention and execution.
Level 2: Operational Execution (Middle Leadership)
This is where strategy meets reality. Middle leaders are the bridge between vision and action. Their role is to:
▪︎ Translate strategy into clear priorities: This helps teams know what to focus on.
▪︎ Align execution with strategic goals: This ensures that daily work moves the organisation forward in reality.
▪︎ Hold people accountable: When people are held accountable, there’s follow-through. In other words, no accountability, no follow-through.
Where things break down: Many middle leaders get stuck in firefighting mode. They get caught up in the business of dealing with daily issues instead of implementing strategic initiatives.
Level 3: Tactical Implementation (Front-line Leadership and Teams)
At the base of the pyramid, we have the front-line teams that make things happen. But, they can not execute effectively if they don’t have:
▪︎ Clear priorities: There should be no room for guessing games or assumptions. Teams need to know what exactly is important and why.
▪︎ Consistent leadership communication: Leaders must ensure they don’t give mixed messages; it usually leads to frustration and disengagement.
▪︎ Decision-making autonomy: Not everything has to be approved by senior leaders. Decision-making autonomy should be given to other leaders/team members where possible. If this is not addressed, implementation (i.e., making things happen) will slow down.
Where things break down: Teams don’t understand the big picture or see how their work connects to it. This leads to a drop in motivation, and implementation becomes mechanical instead of purpose-driven.
How to Fix Leadership Misalignment
If you want to move from vision to results, do the following:
✔️ Ensure leadership messaging is clear and consistent across all leadership levels.
✔️ Equip middle leaders with the right tools and frameworks to be translators, and to align execution with strategy.
✔️ Create a leadership rhythm that reinforces alignment (regular check-ins and structured feedback loops can help).
✔️ Empower decision-making at every level as appropriate (where there’s more clarity and confidence, things move faster).
A great vision without execution is just a good idea that never happens. Execution without alignment is random activity in any direction. When leaders at every level are aligned, there’s intentional movement and momentum!
And that’s where real impact happens.
Reflection Question: Is your leadership truly aligned, or are you just hoping everything connects?
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