It was day three of my first real leadership job. I was a young 2nd lieutenant who had just been assigned to take over 3rd Platoon, Charlie Company, 3rd of the 63rd Armor Battalion, in what was then West Germany.
“Lieutenant McKinnon, you need to go and sign for your tanks,” my company commander directed me.
I proceeded down to the tank park where I found my platoon’s 4 M1A1 Abrams tanks opened up and prepped for inspection. The tanks cost over 4 million dollars apiece. Guns, radios, tools and other equipment onboard cost hundreds of thousands more.
I was barely making $25,000 at the time. And here I was, expected to sign my name as “owner” of the millions of dollars of equipment in front of me. What would happen when I wasn’t there all the time to look after things? The tanks wouldn’t walk away on their own, but a lot of the nice tools and expensive equipment they contained sure could. With such personal ownership responsibility hanging over me, how could I sleep at night?

How are YOU sleeping at night?

Are the people you lead sleeping better than you? Does it feel like you are the only one who owns the problem? Are you alone in feeling a heavy burden of responsibility?
If you nodded “yes” at all, then we have a problem. Your organization has a misalignment of responsibilities, rewards, or both. And, as a leader, it’s up to you to fix it.
I know I had some sleepless nights as a young officer, but not because of worries about any of my platoon’s equipment being lost or stolen.
Minutes after I signed for all of 3rd platoon’s equipment that day, I had my three other tank commanders sign for their respective tanks. Then, my gunner signed as owner of my tank. Each of these four, in turn, had their subordinates sign for their portion of the equipment.

When it was all done, I was still responsible for the platoon’s equipment, but I didn’t lose any sleep over it. Each of the men under me had individual responsibility that aligned with and supported our platoon’s collective goal: keeping track of all of our equipment.

Our rewards were likewise aligned – when we were deployed on a mission suddenly and unannounced, we had everything we needed with us.

Collective Goal
+ Aligned Responsibilities
+ Aligned Rewards
= Team Alignment

And, of course, this model works for organizations outside the military.
Jim Collins, in Good to Great, describes the Hedgehog Principle of getting the whole organization aligned and focused on “one big thing.” You can have multiple goals, but be sure your team is clear on the “one big thing” that will drive results.
Use the following to gauge alignment on your team:
1) Identify a collective goal of your team.
2) Evaluate the alignment of responsibilities to achieve that goal within your team: Look at each of your direct reports. How well do their responsibilities align with yours?  Individual responsibilities from top to bottom should directly correlate to your team’s collective goal.
3) Assess for alignment of rewards if the goal is reached: Evaluate incentives.  How are you incentivized to meet this collective goal for your team? Is everyone up and down appropriately incentivized to pursue that same goal?
If there are places where you see misalignment, start fixing those problem spots. You may not be able to fix everything all at once, but begin pursuing greater alignment. The more progress you make here, the more your people will be focused on the same things as you.
Daniel James Brown’s 2014 bestseller, The Boys in the Boat, provides a vivid illustration of the results of good alignment. Brown recounts the journey of an 8-man crew boat to the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
The coxswain, Bobby Moch, sat at the head of the boat, serving as the leader on the water. It was Bobby’s job to keep his boat aligned. His team’s collective goal? Victory. Responsibility alignment? Each man had to complete his unique job while rowing in harmony with the team. Their ultimate reward? A gold medal.
Getting your organization aligned doesn’t happen on its own. It takes leadership. Make the investment in a structure where responsibilities and the rewards for meeting them are aligned — up and down your organization. Not only will your team be more engaged, but you’ll probably sleep better too.