The Real Reason Leadership Teams Lose Alignment During Growth

By Nicola Ellwood, Master Executive Coach, Be Your Best

A growing company is something to celebrate. For leaders, it’s a sign that their strategy is working and the business is moving in the right direction. But when growth happens quickly, it’s easy for teams to get swept up in the momentum  Trying to get  things done,  juggling  BAU whilst managing growth   – the constant adrenaline, the constant cortisol. It can all get too much and if you aren’t careful then you could either hit a wall or run out of steam. This pace isn’t sustainable.

High-performing leaders understand that vision alone isn’t enough. Sustainable growth requires clear goals, well-defined priorities, and a shared understanding of the role each individual plays in driving success. A sense of togetherness. The same is true of company values. They’re important, but unless they’re clearly defined, consistently demonstrated by leadership, and embedded into everyday decisions, they become little more than words on a wall – and the gap between what’s said and what’s done becomes clear – and disengaging for the team the leaders lead.

Team Vision

The strongest visions are created collaboratively, with every member of the team involved in shaping the future together. Defining what you want to achieve collectively is an abstract process. It’s driven by purpose rather than numbers, and by shared ambition rather than arbitrary targets. At its heart, it’s about creating clarity around what matters most to people and why.

The ‘big hairy audacious goals’ (Jim Collins) and strategy come later. They are the building blocks that turn a shared vision into reality, providing the direction, milestones, and actions needed to bring that vision to life over the years ahead. The Vision is the what and the why, the goals and strategy are the how. Both are needed but so few leaders give priority to getting a clear and compelling vision.

Personal vision

Every member of the leadership team has a unique role to play in bringing the vision to life. While everyone is working towards the same overarching goal, each leader understands what success looks like within their own area of responsibility and how their contribution supports the bigger picture. This clarity gives their work purpose, enabling them to set meaningful objectives over the months and years ahead that steadily turn the shared vision into reality.

The chief executive has a pivotal role to play as well. Sustained growth leaves little room for complacency or relying solely on what has worked in the past. Effective CEOs cultivate a mindset of continuous improvement, seeking out opportunities, embracing change, and challenging established ways of thinking. By maintaining this energy and commitment, they create momentum for the wider business, inspiring their teams, keeping everyone focused on the vision, and leading the organisation towards its greatest potential.

A togetherness in the vision

Each team member knows each other’s vision, or at least they should in my view. They are tight. They sing from the same hymn sheet. If you were to ask the teams below them, they would get the same answer as to what the leadership team is driving towards. Countless studies, like Engaging for Success, show the organisation’s faith in their leadership team’s vision – the direction in which that team are taking them is a key enabler or ‘pillar’ of their commitment motivation and sense of belonging.

In other words, they know exactly where they are going. If the team is tight then communication is often consistent. Motivation works when everyone is matched in vision priority and energy.

Communication within high-performing leadership teams is consistent, open, and grounded in mutual respect. Team members are generous with their time, gracious in their interactions, and genuinely committed to one another’s success. They don’t simply work alongside each other, they work with each other and for each other, creating an environment built on trust, understanding, and shared accountability.

Developing this level of trust starts with a few core principles:

• Assume positive intent. Everyone is doing the best they can with the knowledge, skills, and resources available to them. When momentum slows or challenges arise, the focus should be on asking, How can we support one another? and What resources or guidance would help?
• Treat mistakes as opportunities to learn. People rarely set out to make mistakes. Rather than assigning blame, seek to understand what happened, what contributed to the outcome, and what can be done differently next time. This creates learning, alignment, and continuous improvement.
• Communicate with clarity and empathy. It’s often easier to be misunderstood than understood. High-performing leaders make their intentions clear, listen actively, check for understanding, and create psychological safety by showing that mistakes can be addressed openly and constructively.

The best high-performing teams spend time together, building, understanding priorities, and working out how they will deliver their vision together.

High performance habits and routines

High-performing leadership teams invest time in one another because they understand that strong relationships are fundamental to sustained success. Their role is critical: they are responsible not only for delivering results but for creating the alignment, clarity, and consistency that keeps the organisation moving forward.

Leadership can be relentless, particularly during periods of growth, transformation, or change. The teams that sustain momentum are those with the strongest relationships. They trust one another, genuinely enjoy working together, and recognise the unique value each person brings. That mutual respect enables them to challenge ideas constructively, make better decisions, and stay united when the pressure is on.

Time is one of a leader’s most valuable resources and using it intentionally is essential. Effective leaders don’t just learn to manage their own time; they model those habits for their teams. Whether your leadership team comes together every fortnight or every quarter, protecting time to strengthen relationships should be a priority. These sessions aren’t simply about reviewing actions or ticking off tasks. They’re an opportunity to reconnect with the vision, reflect on progress, realign priorities, and refocus on what matters most.

A long-term vision will inevitably evolve as circumstances change, and that’s not a weakness, it’s a sign of an adaptive organisation. What matters is ensuring the entire leadership team understands the direction of travel, believes in it, and remains committed to achieving it together.

Throughout this article, I’ve focused on the behaviours that define high-performing leadership teams because the absence of these practices is often what causes teams to lose alignment, momentum, and ultimately performance. Leadership excellence isn’t a mystery; it’s the consistent application of behaviours that are proven to work. If you’re a CEO or part of a senior leadership team, challenge yourself to put these principles into practice. The impact on your team, and your organisation, may be greater than you expect!