Staying aligned is one of the biggest challenges for an evolving business – and key to that is your leadership team.

We assembled an expert panel and some of the most exciting businesses in the region at Hope Street Hotel to share real-world experiences, explore actionable strategies, and have a bit of fun with ice-cream at our recent event.

The road to alignment

To kick off the afternoon, our Project Director, Sarah Goulden, was joined on stage by Katie Nicholson, Director of LCR Angel Network, Raina Heverin, Director of SupplyWell and ReCulture, Debs Chapman, Former HR Director at Very Group, and Hannah Fawcett, Legal Director at Brabners.

A theme that ran through the panel discussion was the importance of aligning around values and culture. As Raina put it, “start-up or scale-up, for any business you need to come together around a strong shared sense of ‘why’”. As businesses grow, it’s likely that these will evolve as more people come into the mix. Raina shared that as SupplyWell has scaled, it’s been key to “stay open-minded, check your values still resonate, and take your team on that journey with you through open forums and regular feedback sessions”.

Alignment VS sameness

For Debs, it's vital to make a distinction between being aligned and being the same. As she shared, "When people feel aligned to your values, they feel engaged, they contribute more, they outperform, but it can be super easy to fall into the trap of hiring people who are just like you."

A big part of her role at Very was to "advocate for hiring people who are different, not to the point that brings conflict that would stop the business functioning, but who can add something to what you're trying to achieve." She shared how getting this mix to work together in teams won't always be harmonious but through workshops and getting comfortable with being uncomfortable, you can build empathy and understanding.

Investors look for alignment

Katie shared how investors look for aligned leadership teams too. As she put it, "you need someone there in the trenches with you for good and bad times but also someone who will challenge you at the right times." In her experience, investors specifically look for founders who are aligned around what they want from the business and their exit plans. She urged people "not to be afraid to share these plans as ultimately investors want returns."

The panel all agreed that as businesses grow, the challenges around alignment grow too. Katie discussed the friction around introducing non-execs and expert investment managers to the mix and making sure they "add value, represent the business, and have the contacts and expertise to really move you forward."

And as the leadership teams evolve, Hannah shared the importance of making sure your legal agreements reflect that. As a business grows, it's key to "be mindful and have regular check-ins with each other to see if you're still aligned and if the articles of association are still appropriate". From HR policies to licensing strategies, Hannah recommended regularly reviewing internal and external changes to protect your assets and your team.

Navigating Conflict

In any leadership team, especially one with new senior hires, there will be some conflict – which Debs stressed was a good thing. According to her COO mentor, “If the walls of the boardroom aren’t rattling, you're not having a good board meeting…” but the trick is to make sure nobody outside that room would know. The minute you step out, you’re all aligned, on message, and you take this congruence in the leadership team and back it up with policy for the business.

The panel all agreed that the key to this is open communication, and for Raina, the success of Supplywell has been underpinned by “honest, open conversations, checking in to see if we’re aligned, and everyone knowing what their responsibilities are.”

Getting Practical

After a short coffee break, accompanied by some incredible city views, it was time to look at actionable steps to better alignment.

Gather Consultant Jon Minchin, shared his experience of working on product development at Magnum, the pull of the different stakeholders, and we even gave out some samples of the product to get the leaders in the room hungry for more learning!

Jon explored the costs of misalignment (slower decision making, resource drain, lack of progress, disengagement, frustration), what alignment looks like (pulling in the same direction, efficiency, momentum, having conversations that matter), and asked leaders to identify three areas of misalignment in their business.

He highlighted, as the panel had done previously, that disagreement, conflict, and change should all be expected – and embraced – in an aligned business. Before working with the assembled leaders to identify how aligned their teams are on their 5-year vision, 12-month sales ambition, values-driven culture, and some actionable steps they could take to move the needle.

It was an afternoon of incredible insight, shared learning, and new connections that closed with the chance to network with fellow leaders and the panel.

If you want to find out more about how Gather’s programs could support your business growth, get in touch at [email protected].