I am sure I am missing something here, but it seems to me that agreement is contrary to great leadership.  How many  people do you know that agree with how you think about everything?  You cant name one and if you can he or she is a liar.

Yet in our organizations we spend hours and hours and hours getting people to agree so we can make a decision.  We manipulate, i.e., operate from our agenda so œour decision becomes the obvious one.

The other side of the agreement coin is called œdo as I say or œmy way or the highway.  There is no way your team can give you 100%.  What they think has no value.  Saying like œIm the boss, coach, project lead, etc.” are common.  Then theres my favorite, a standard for parents, called œbecause I said so.

You never have to tell your team that you are the head coach.  They all know that.  You never have to prove youre the boss.  You already are.  Proving whats so is really wasted motion.

When you play the boss/head coach card you will immediately cause resistance.  Your title will dominate them, which has them immediately avoid your domination.  It is a separation and an automatic reaction that will show up in various ways.

One of the ways that people avoid domination is rebel.  They will butt heads, challenge everything and pout when they dont get their way.  So much for 100%.

Another way to avoid domination is saying, “yes” when you have no intention of doing it.  You know, nodding your head that you understand the message and ignoring it when you get in action? Like when Mom asked you to clean up your room for the umpteenth time.

The favorite of coaches is the adapter.  This is the person who always does exactly what he is told,  follows the rules, is the model for a role player.  In families this person is known as the œgood child.  You know the one or is that you?

What costs you here is there is no room for the œrole player to be fully themselves.  They are too busy adapting to the coach.  Besides, each player is a role layer, just different roles.  Your œstar needs to be a star, not abdicate when the going gets a little rough.

So what is alignment?  First of all, alignment is not a thing it is a process.  It begins with the coach creating solid relationships with every single player.  Yes, even the lowest player on the totem pole.

On the foundation of relationship you then can include them in the major decisions that affect the team.  You can ask them what is their vision for the season and you can share your vision for the program with them.  What are their commitments personally and to the team?  What are the team commitments that they are aligned on?

The Head Coach, CEO, etc. is accountable for everything.  Dont you think they can give 100% to something they helped you create?  It is their team and their performance and their wins.  I suggest you take responsibility for the losses and for the development of them as people.  Your greatest wins will always be who they have become and the difference you made in having that happen.

When your team is in alignment they will back your decisions 100% because they know where they are going and with whom.  They dont always have to get their personal wishes satisfied.  Life isnt going to give them that all of the time either.  They do want to know that they matter.

I have worked with hundreds of college teams.  Mens and womens teams at that elite level are certainly interested in winning.  The things they will remember most are the people they played with and the coaches who showed them the way.