Look at decisions after the retreat
Leadership teams can endorse a strategy and then drift toward functional targets, favored initiatives, or personal incentives. Even well-intended colleagues need an explicit commitment to shared priorities and the tradeoffs those priorities require.
Research published by PMO Partners found that aligned executive teams were three times as likely to report rising revenue as teams that were not fully aligned. This is an association from the research, rather than a promise of financial performance.
Make alignment a recurring practice
The original article introduced a ten-question assessment designed to take about ten minutes. Its purpose was to help executives, functional leaders, or initiative sponsors surface common signs of misalignment and compare perceptions.
Use the questions as the start of a candid conversation about priorities, behavior, and accountability. Objective reflection is most useful when leaders act on what they discover and revisit their commitments over time.