Why Alignment Breaks in Motion

Growth targets many times aren’t the real problem. The system that has to carry them is.

Every organization runs on an internal architecture. This is the invisible design of how decisions move, how definitions hold, and how information flows between teams. When that architecture isn’t intentionally built for alignment, it starts creating drag the moment the plan leaves the room.

This is why alignment feels fixed in meetings and breaks in motion.

The Illusion of Alignment

Inside the room, alignment feels real. The goals make sense. Everyone agrees on the plan. But what’s happening in that moment is consensus, not system design.

Once execution begins, that consensus collides with the way the organization actually works. Definitions shift at the handoff. Decisions stall because ownership isn’t clear. Teams meet more often to “stay aligned,” but the meetings exist to compensate for gaps the system should resolve on its own. Leaders ask for more dashboards and reports, but the inputs aren’t consistent, so the same debates return with new charts.

Effort goes up. Momentum doesn’t.

What Leaders Miss

Revenue leaders often try to solve misalignment with communication, motivation, or visibility. But communication amplifies noise when the structure is wrong. Motivation fades when the system keeps fighting good intent. And visibility doesn’t help when the data itself isn’t speaking the same language.

The real issue isn’t that teams don’t want to work together. It’s that the system rewards them for optimizing inside silos instead of across them.

Marketing optimizes near-term engagement and lead volume. Sales optimizes late-stage momentum and end-of-quarter bookings. Each choice is rational in isolation, but the system that rewards them creates a high-friction path for revenue and slows decision speed.

That’s the signal of a system not designed for alignment.

The Leadership Design Shift

Alignment can’t be managed through meetings. It has to be designed into the system.

When alignment becomes structural, three things change:

1. Ownership is clear, and accountability continues as the work moves between teams.

2. Definitions mean the same thing for everyone at every stage of the buyer journey.

3. Buyer interactions update plans in time to change what teams do in the near term.

That’s when collaboration stops being something leaders have to enforce and starts becoming the natural outcome of how the business is built.

If growth feels heavier than it should, stop inspecting effort. Instead, inspect the system that carries it.

If this was useful, forward it to a colleague who would benefit from rethinking how sales and marketing can align to drive sustainable growth.

Until next week,
Jeff
RevEngine™ | Built for Revenue Leaders Driving Alignment and Growth Together