When a leadership team isn’t aligned, you feel it everywhere—in decisions that take too long, leaders who pull in different directions, and goals that never quite land. It’s not always because people don’t care. It’s often because the space and structure for real alignment just doesn’t exist.

That’s where strategic planning comes in. Not as a one-time event or a document for the shelf, but as a process that brings a leadership team together in a way that few other things can. Strategic planning, done right, serves as a non-aggressive forcing function—a pause in the noise where all thinking is welcome and the goal is clear: get to what matters most for the business.

1. Invite Every Leader to Think Like the CEO

One of the biggest obstacles to alignment is siloed thinking. In most leadership teams, each person is focused on their own area—sales, product, finance, operations—making fast decisions and doing what’s best for their team. That’s necessary for daily execution, but it rarely leads to shared strategy.

Strategic planning offers a chance to step out of that mindset. From the very beginning, we ask leaders to take off their functional hats and think like the CEO. What would you prioritize if you were responsible for the entire business? That shift helps leaders move from defending their corner to focusing on what’s best for the company as a whole. It lays the foundation for meaningful alignment.

2. Start With Inclusion, Not Instruction

Once that broader mindset is in place, we invite every leader to contribute. Through structured pre-work—like SWOTs and proposed goals—they arrive ready to shape the conversation. This early involvement fosters a sense of responsibility and makes it clear: the strategy won’t be handed down. It will be built together.

3. Use a CEO Vision as a Starting Point for Open Conversation

The CEO’s vision plays an essential role in anchoring the process. It provides clarity on direction and purpose. But we encourage CEOs to present their vision as a starting point for open conversation, not a final directive. That openness builds trust and invites engagement.

Interestingly, we’ve seen again and again that when teams are invited into the process, the goals they land on often closely reflect the CEO’s original vision. But because they’ve debated, refined, and shaped the strategy together, the team walks away feeling true ownership—and alignment runs much deeper.

4. Design for Real Debate

 In the pace of day-to-day operations, most decisions need to be made quickly—and there’s rarely time for deep, thoughtful debate. And when relationships are strained, many teams avoid this kind of dialogue altogether. Strategic planning creates a pause. It gives teams permission to slow down, reflect, and wrestle with tough questions.

In our Strategic Ascent process, we split the team into small groups to draft strategic goals separately. When they return, the debate begins. Priorities are tested. Assumptions are challenged. People disagree—but constructively. The goal isn’t to win. It’s to get to the best solution.

This is also where a neutral outside facilitator can make a significant difference. When someone with no internal stake is guiding the process, they’re focused on ensuring equal airtime, surfacing real issues, and helping the team work through disagreements productively. That objectivity helps everyone participate more fully—and creates a safe space for real dialogue.

5. Don’t Rush the Convergence

Alignment takes time. After the initial debate, we intentionally slow things down. Teams sleep on their thinking, revisit their ideas the next day, and often find new clarity with distance. Rushing past this step might get you agreement—but not commitment. That extra pause is where alignment becomes real.

6. Cement Alignment with Shared Commitments

Once the team aligns on the strategy, it needs to stay visible. We help teams create a strategic scorecard that reflects the goals they landed on together. This isn’t just a reporting tool—it’s a visible reflection of the team’s shared priorities. It keeps what matters most front and center, serving as a daily anchor for decision-making and accountability.

7. Re-Align Regularly

Even the most aligned teams drift without regular checkpoints. That’s why we help teams create a governance plan with strategy meetings every other month. These aren’t just check-ins. They’re intentional spaces to reconnect as a team, reflect on what’s working, and recalibrate when needed. Alignment isn’t a one-time win. It’s a practice.

Bottom line: If your leadership team feels out of sync, don’t just talk about alignment—build it. Strategic planning, when designed as a shared, thoughtful process, creates the space for leaders to think deeply, challenge respectfully, and commit fully. The result isn’t just a plan. It’s a team that’s ready to move forward—together.

These insights are drawn from the Strategic Ascent system, which helps CEOs and leadership teams build alignment through a structured planning process that leads to action—and ownership.

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