Alignment

I was reflecting on a situation that I faced years ago where I had one of my team members vehemently disagreeing with me on an approach. After hearing him out for sometime, I got tired and told him to just do what I had said I wanted done. He went away very unhappy.  As I reflected, I asked myself as what would I have done today if I met with the same situation.  Over the years since I was faced with the situation mentioned above, I have had many who have not agreed on an approach suggested by me. This could be because they did not see the situation from my vantage point, they had a different view given customer compulsions, they were not privy to all information and many other reasons.  If I am unable to get past the disagreement, I tell them that I am not looking for agreement but alignment.

 

I have myself disagreed with the approach taken by my managers (read bosses) at times and I express my difference of opinion. However, if I cannot get my boss around to think like me, I align because what the organization needs is alignment.

 

So, how can you align if you do not agree to what is being told to you? This is a really difficult question.  In such situations, it is necessary to view this from your boss's shoes. If you are convinced with the his/her points of view, then you agree. If you don't then you need to ask the question as to what is he/she not telling you.  If there are indeed things that he/she is not telling you, then, you need to trust your boss and move on. If there is nothing, then, there is a clear disagreement and you need to figure out your course of action.  If the disagreement is fundamental to your core principles, it is best to let your boss know that there is conflict and he/she will know that you will move on out of this job because living with such conflicts become difficult.  However, if there is no such fundamental disagreement, then, let trust play out. I have always seen that if you trust and align, your boss feels increasingly obliged to tell you more and more of all situations while seeking alignment.

 

The science of yoga asks for alignment of the body, the mind and the energy. It really does not ask for agreement. This is primarily because "you" are not the body, the mind or the energy. You are different from each of these and you will have to ensure that this alignment happens. Many a time you struggle to get agreement - while you want to bend forward, the body is not in a shape to do that. So, the body is not aligned to your needs and, therefore, does not agree to your request. However, the body is making a request to you - "Can you please get me fit enough to get aligned to your needs." If "you" really want to be the master, you need to get the body, the mind and the energy to align because you control them.

 

If you are a good manager (read boss), you will get your team to align by first preparing them for the need and then requesting their agreement and alignment. When your teams are prepared (like the body or the mind), they are in a better position to agree and align.

 

Of course, despite all the preparation, you will find those situations where someone does not agree with your assessment. This is more so when you have larger teams. This is why communication across layers and larger teams are difficult and need more time spent on intent of thought than just the "what" that needs to be communicated.  It is important to communicate the "what" and the "why" and not just the "what".  If we do that and leave the "how" to our teams, we find better agreement and alignment.  Many a time, we do not do this because we are in a hurry. Most leaders don't look for agreement...what is essential for them is alignment.  Most good leaders will vary their approach...when the situation is not one of fixing a huge problem, it is agreement and alignment. When the situation is break-fix and somewhat of a "all hands on deck" situation, then, it is alignment and not necessarily agreement. As I always say, there is no right or wrong...it depends on the situation and that too at that point in time for that individual.