Aligning every aspect of an organization is crucial and goes beyond setting goals. In today’s episode of The Small Business Show, Domonique Worship, executive coach and leadership advisor, sheds light on the concept of Exceptional Alignment™ and what leaders need to know.
Worship started her career as a lawyer for a large law firm on Wall Street, specializing in transactional work in Latin America. She had an incredibly detailed game plan but felt disconnected and ultimately unfulfilled once she reached her destination. This disappointment prompted her to embark on a personal journey to uncover what fulfillment looked like and redefine what success personally meant to her. She realized there was a dire need for accessible coaching, especially for mid-level professionals, which led her to pursue a coaching certification more aligned with her purpose.
Her story is something that many people can relate to. There’s no guidebook to navigating a career; sometimes, reality doesn’t meet our expectations. It’s okay to choose to pivot, and the key to unlocking true career fulfillment is by pursuing opportunities that are more exceptionally aligned with oneself.
What is Exceptional Alignment?
Worship defines Exceptional Alignment as the insection of an individual’s gifts, also referred to as talent and skills, desired impact, values, and emotions.
When these aspects align, it empowers individuals and teams with autonomy, fostering higher engagement, creativity, and fulfillment. It’s a strategic investment that drives high-performing, aligned organizations.
Some of the most common challenges that leaders experience are:
- Lack of awareness of core values: Leaders who can’t truly identify their personal values and purpose can often feel lost.
- Tension between values and actions: When leaders don’t honor or leverage their strengths, they’re much more likely to experience burnout, “stuckness,” or feelings of unfulfillment.
- Failing to address team misalignment: When overly stressed or stretched too thin, leaders often fail to address misalignment amongst their team.
How leaders can support team alignment
Leaders should ask powerful, open-ended questions to help their teams tap into their strengths, values, and the impact they want to create. These conversations help team members find clarity, fostering collaboration and ownership of their work.
In addition, leaders should lead their teams by example by gaining clarity around their personal values and demonstrating authenticity in their leadership.
Obstacles to alignment
- Perfectionism: Perfectionism is often mistaken for strength. However, it’s a harmful perspective and stems from an unhealthy connection between self-worth and performance. Individuals striving for perfection often find themselves burned out, lacking creativity, and ultimately feeling inadequate. Leaders must allow space for risk-taking and embrace imperfection to foster creativity and productivity.
- Social media: Consistent consumption of social media content exacerbates the perfectionism epidemic by highlighting success and presenting an unrealistic version of other’s lives. It’s crucial to be intentional and aware when consuming social media content and remember that many people only post the highlights of their lives. Worship recommends following and engaging with accounts that align with one’s values and taking everything with a grain of salt.
Overcoming the obstacles
The best way to overcome these obstacles is by focusing on mental health and well-being. Leaders should prioritize their emotional and physical well-being to ensure peak performance and fulfillment.
Leaders who prioritize aligning their values with their work and intentionally foster the same in their teams create high-performing organizations. Investing in this alignment is a strategic move that enhances fulfillment, creativity, and overall organizational success.
"Many people wear perfectionism as a badge of honor. Take a step back, slow down, and look at the impact of striving for a standard that's impossible to meet. Ultimately, it does more harm than good." – Domonique Worship
