What Performance Alignment Actually Does
When I was at Roush Fenway Racing (I know, the name has changed! LOL!), we had nearly 400 employees, many of whom had never met yet their work relied on each other! It was how we were set up to build race cars, which was the car going to different locations. Engineers. Fabricators. Mechanics. All working on the same car, yet in silos, and pointing fingers when things went wrong (not much different than what we see in corporate offices, right?).
The turnaround didn’t start with a new strategy. It started with a shared language.
Our competition leaders decided to try something different and brought the departments to the car as we built them. Suddenly, the electrical harness guy and the fabricator were talking. A quick conversation – “hey, I needed to rewire around this part of the chassis because of this new component, just giving you a heads-up”– replaced years of frustration.
That single shift from transactional handoffs to relational problem-solving and information-sharing unlocked performance we didn’t know we had. We won a championship that same year with Chris Buescher. This approach is a pursuit of continuous improvement!
That’s what Performance Alignment does. It creates:
- Shared language – so your team isn’t speaking three different dialects of the same mission
- Psychological safety – so people ask questions instead of hiding problems
- Trust as daily practice – so small, consistent actions compound into real credibility
- Commitment over compliance – because people who helped build the plan go all-in on executing it
The result is less noise and more speed. You are creating a team that feels capable instead of anxious.
So Why Don’t More Leaders Do It?
Let’s take a pause to look in the mirror, shall we?
Most leaders aren’t resisting Performance Alignment because they disagree with it. They’re blocked by assumptions they haven’t named yet.
There are many blocks, yet here are three that might resonate with you:
Block #1: “They already know what’s expected.” This is the most common and costly assumption I see. Leaders believe clarity was communicated once, so it must exist. But your team can’t read your mind. Also, they won’t tell you they’re confused if the culture doesn’t make it safe to ask.
Block #2: “If I slow down to align, we’ll fall behind.” Ironically, the opposite is true. In racing, there is a saying that, “in order to go fast, sometimes you have to slow down.” This speaks to drivers hitting their marks on the race track and not over-driving their equipment. Leaders who take time to align their teams before the green flag drops move faster once they’re in motion – not slower.
Block #3: “My people are motivated by the company’s success.” Assumptions about motivation are huge leadership blind spots that kill trust. One person is driven by mastery, another by financial security for their family, another by being part of a winning team. Assuming they’re all wired the same (or worse yet, wired like you!) is how you lose your best people.
ACTION STEP 1 – Start Here
Before your next team meeting, ask yourself this one question:
“What am I assuming my team already understands that I have never explicitly said out loud?”
Write it down. That answer is your starting point.
ACTION STEP 2 – Reality Check
On a scale of 1-10, how would your team rate these right now?
- Clarity – They know exactly what’s expected and why it matters
- Safety – They feel comfortable raising concerns without fear of judgment
- Trust – They believe you’ve prepared them well for what’s ahead
If any answer is below a 7, you’ve found your work.