Page 249 - Fearless Leadership

236 FEARLESS LEADERSHIP

a breakdown occurs. At the time of a breakdown, the team becomes clear
that they were not aligned in the first place and then must go through the
exhausting process of rework and damage control.
Saying “Yes, I am aligned” is insufficient to determine if there is full
emotional and intellectual commitment, and it is certainly inadequate for
holding people accountable for their agreements. To avoid this pitfall, we
developed the chart in the sidebar “The Five Levels of Alignment” to pro-
vide an efficient method for groups to talk about where they are in the
alignment process.

The Five Levels of Alignment: Where Are You?
Level 1: Resigned (not aligned). “I am resigned about . . .”
Level 2: Concerned (not aligned). “I am concerned about . . .”
Level 3: Complying (not aligned). “I am going along with the
decision because . . .”
Level 4: Intellectually committed (partially aligned). “I am only
intellectually committed because . . .”
Level 5: Emotionally and intellectually committed (fully aligned).
“I am fully on board and I am not holding anything back.”

The Five Levels of Alignment are designed to help individuals and
teams identify what prevents them from fully aligning (Level 5) and help
them talk about their concerns. As a result, people are able to engage in
an open and honest dialogue where they can easily pinpoint key areas of
concern and resolve issues preventing alignment. The five levels of align-
ment are not only valuable in stimulating an open dialogue and engaging
people who would otherwise not speak up, but they are also a barometer
for measuring if the group is united at Level 5, or if individuals are at dif-
ferent levels.
An important factor to note is that the levels of alignment are not a
sequential progression. In other words, an individual or team does not need
to move through each level in order to reach Level 5. Further, an indi-
vidual may be both resigned and complying at the same time (Level 1 and
Level 3). The only level that is discrete and does not overlap with other
levels is Level 5—emotional and intellectual alignment. This level is