Expert opinion: Top team alignment is fuel for a fit team

A top level aligned team is not much different from a football team. Every champion team has a common vision with clear goals, which players are committed to, just like a management team. There is clarity on each other’s roles and responsibilities and success is clearly defined. 

The first step to aligning the dream team is to start by recognizing the purpose and true source of the team’s value. Leadership needs to develop the kind of team which represents the collective expertise and responsibility of the workforce than the board room executives. A McKinsey & Company survey with over 600 large MNCs revealed that on an average, only 10 percent top executives were confident of effectively aligning their top teams.  

The key issue many top teams fail to address is to perform as cross-functional teams and break the silos in which they often end up working to achieve their own functional objectives, instead of the common organization goal. On the other hand, aligned top teams are different, they see the bigger picture, understand the common purpose and are aware that they are a part of the larger group, which is playing together to win the league.

I believe that the people who lead the organizations are the ones who define the overall culture and founding values of the organization. Culture is at the heart of the organization’s strategy and it is the role of a CEO to align the top team with the culture. When all team members are thinking in the same direction and there is a mutual understanding among the team members, then a shared culture is established across the group. A passionate top level team can also bring in infectious optimism to the group through envisioning, empathy, and empowerment to the bottom line. All of these skills with consistent communication of values help in greater alignment throughout the organization. 

An inspiring purpose: Having a common, inspiring purpose is important to motivate the top level team. The purpose should be a reflection of the group’s motto; it is an important practice for the leadership team to evaluate how the purpose is aligned with the end goal, which the team is striving to achieve. At OLX, our common purpose is to improve people’s lives by bringing them together for win-win exchanges. 

Defining values: Values that are consistent with what leaders believe in and that also connect with your business needs are crucial. An interesting exercise we did internally was to ask each OLX regional team to come up with its own set of values, which were then put together to decide on the core values of the OLX group. This led us to come up with six values that we believe are fundamentally right for the future of our brand and teams. These values are ‘Be fast’, ‘Be innovative’, ‘Be empowered’, ‘Live-It’, ‘Be Open’, and ‘Be Curious’. All leaders across OLX countries are aligned to these values.

Focused strategy: Drawing a focused strategy with the top team helps in better alignment of the overall organizational goals. Most of the times, organizations fail due to fickleness in their approach to setting the right strategy. It is imperative to adhere to the core strategy and empower functional leaders to drive their teams to the common vision.

Clear expectations: Defining clear expectations from each top leader on what is expected out of them is a crucial task for a CEO. Leaders have to understand that one they need to able to excel in their domain and support their counterparts too.  

Candid assessment: At OLX, we believe in sharing constant feedback through continuous communication. The assessment does not only restrict to the performance of one’s own function, but also on how each functional head collaborates with one another to win together.

Top team alignment is not an easy task to accomplish. It requires adhering to a basic principle of owning a decision, which every captain needs to be aware of. At times, the captain has to fill in the role of a coach to build the capabilities of each player, and align them to work for each other’s success. The day when all the players are doing that, your team becomes a champion. 

It is an important practice for the leadership team to evaluate how the purpose is aligned with the end goal that the team is striving to achieve