Ever left a leadership team meeting feeling like it was so productive—then realized a week later nothing really changed?

In this solo episode, Darrin unpacks why that gap between effort and impact is rarely about commitment—and almost always about clarity. Building on his “Cycle of Chaos” episode, he shares the ALIGN Framework, a practical system for strengthening team dynamics and keeping teams focused on what matters most.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. Why strong teams drift into reactivity when clarity is missing
2. How alignment breaks the Cycle of Chaos—not just “working harder”
3. The ALIGN Framework for healthier team dynamics:
4. A — Agree on the Vision and Goals: Ensure everyone can name the top priorities in the same language
5. L — Language and Communication: Teams don’t just make decisions—they carry the message
6. I — Intentional Role Clarity: Clear ownership prevents duplication, avoidance, and frustration
7. G — Growth Through Cross-Training: Build continuity and empathy without eroding roles
8. N — Navigate with Intention: Protect focus, pause before adding initiatives, and stay anchored to priorities

Reflection questions to take back to your team:

1. If I asked each team member privately, would they name the same top three priorities?
2. Are we clear on what gets communicated, who communicates it, and how it’s framed?
3. Where might I be stepping in that’s keeping someone else from stepping up?
4. Are we moving the goal forward—or just filling the calendar?

Support for leaders and teams

If you’re thinking, “This sounds like my team, but we’re struggling to get there,” Darrin invites you to reach out for coaching, team support, or a leadership team alignment retreat designed to reset vision, roles, and priorities.

Connect with Darrin: darrinpeppard.com | roadtoawesome.net | @darrinmpeppard

Thank you to our Amazing Sponsors

This episode is brought to you by HeyTutor, delivering high-impact, research-based tutoring that supports students while reducing leadership overwhelm. Connect with them at HeyTutor.com

This episode is also sponored by DigiCoach, helping leaders capture real-time instructional data, provide meaningful feedback, and build clarity through strong systems. Go to https://www.digicoach.com/ and tell them you heard about them here on the Leaning into Leadership podcast for special partner pricing.

Hey everybody, welcome into episode 259 of the Leaning Into Leadership podcast. Today's episode is for any one of you who have ever walked out of a leadership team meeting feeling like, man, that was so productive. Only to realize about a week later, nothing has changed. You know what I'm talking about. Everybody's busy, everybody's working hard, and on the surface, it looks like

the team is really doing all the right work. But underneath all of that activity, there are things that just still feel a little out of sync. Your priorities maybe don't quite line up. Maybe there's decisions that were made that get interpreted a little differently from one team member to the next. And you start to notice that really good people, really dedicated people are starting to...

either step on each other's toes or they're starting to kind of quietly step back because they're just not sure where they fit into the clear, compelling vision that they thought existed. Now, here's the thing. This disconnect is so much more common than we'd like to admit and it very rarely is because of effort. Usually, it's about clarity or

more importantly, a lack of clarity. Now, recently I did an episode where I talked about the cycle of chaos. And wow, that one resonated with so many of you. I received a bunch of emails, messages, texts, had a couple of live conversations with people that I ran into, and there was just this constant

consistent theme that I was getting from all of those different types of communications and feedback from that episode. And while a lot of it was, that episode was great, Darren, which is wonderful, but that's not what I was going for. What I heard was what I really was hoping people would ask. And it's this question. It's, Darren, you got me. I'm living in a cycle of chaos, but...

What's the antidote? How do I make my way out? And yes, in that episode, I did talk about gaining clarity and gave you a couple of little tips, but I thought maybe let's go a little further. Maybe it's important that we share a little more about how you escape the cycle of chaos. So I thought about this a lot.

And I've really come to believe that most leadership teams don't struggle because they lack talent or they lack commitment. They struggle again because there's a lack of clarity. And without clarity, the best teams can still drift into that reactive mode that we talked about in Cycle of Chaos. But clarity alone is not simply that antidote. It's not just, let's go and be clear.

No, you have to be intentional. And ideally, you have to have a system for gaining that clarity that you're looking for. And that's what I want to talk about today. A system that I call the Align Framework. We're gonna get into that in just a moment. But first, I want to take a minute to thank the sponsors of the Leaning Into Leadership podcast, the people who through their very hard work make

episodes like this possible. Let's start with our friends at Digicoach. Now, Digicoach supports leaders who want to move from compliance-based observation to growth-focused coaching. At Digicoach, helps leadership teams collect meaningful data, provide targeted feedback, and keep instructional conversations focused on what matters most. Digicoach brings structure, and they bring clarity to coaching.

which is something every team needs when you're trying to break out of those reactive patterns. Make sure you go to digicoach.com to check out this incredible platform. And while you're there, make sure you let them know that you heard about them here on the Leaning Into Leadership podcast for some very special partner pricing.

Now I want to talk about our other sponsor, HeyTutor. HeyTutor delivers customized, evidence-based, high-dosage tutoring in math and ELA for K-12 school districts all across the country. HeyTutor handles everything, recruiting, hiring, and training tutors, along with managing curriculum and tracking the results, just so schools can focus on the impact instead of all those logistics behind the scenes.

Tutors can meet in small groups, tutors can meet virtually, they can meet during the day, they can meet after school. HeyTutor is all about putting together a model that's aligned, structured, and built for results. And that's exactly what strong systems require. Make sure you check out in the show notes the link for HeyTutor or simply go to heytutor.com. All right, now let's talk about the antidote to

the cycle of chaos. One of the most consistent pieces of work that I do, whether that's with school leadership teams, district teams, or leaders in other walks of life, other corporate spaces, is helping the teams move from being just busy to actually being aligned. I think that's one of the most important things when we talk about leadership teams, is it's one thing to be

doing work. It's a whole other thing to be focused on and doing the right work that's bringing you closer to your goals. I'll tell you this, I've learned so much in working with teams over the last five years, but what I've learned is ultimately, you can percolate it down to this, chaos thrives in the absence of clarity. When we leave things in an ambiguous state,

When we leave things undefined or not crystal clear, that is what leads to chaos. Alignment is how teams break that cycle of chaos though. And that's what I really wanna walk you through today is this framework that I use regularly in my team trainings, in workshops and in leadership retreats, this Align Framework.

It's one that's designed to strengthen team dynamics, help leaders stay focused on what matters most, all while still working on the work. And again, I call it a line. And yes, a line. Each letter stands for something. It's another acronym. I love my acronyms, folks. But a line stands for this. A, agree on the vision and the goals. L, focus on your language and your communication.

I, intentional role clarity. G, growth through cross training. And then finally N, which is navigate with intention. A line again is the antidote to the cycle of chaos. Now let's walk through it together. Let's start with agree on the vision and goals. This really is where strong teams start and where not so strong teams eventually will unravel.

So an important word here, A is agree, but agreement doesn't mean everybody gets their way. What it means is that everyone has committed to the same destination. And there are a lot of different protocols, a lot of different practices you can use to come to that agreement, but that agreement is incredibly important because without it, you cannot answer correctly.

the questions that healthy teams can on a regular basis. And those questions are simply these. Number one, where are we going? Number two, what are our top priorities right now? And number three, how will we know that we're making progress? What are we doing as a team to check in on ourself back to what are our top priorities right now that ultimately take us back to where are we going?

One of the simplest diagnostics that I use is this. I like to ask each team member of your team privately, name the top three priorities for this team. Here's an interesting piece. Would I hear the same answer? Would I hear it in the same language? When you are aligned, every team member knows very clearly what the top priorities are.

what the destination is, and ultimately, how do they know that they're making progress? If teams can't answer that question about the top three priorities, then probably alignment hasn't yet happened, or it hasn't happened at a deep enough level for everyone to truly own what those priorities are.

Continuing to lean into that clarity, continuing to focus on ensuring everybody is clear on what the priorities are, that is the level of clarity that will reduce the tension literally everywhere else. That will help to break that cycle of chaos simply because we're crystal clear on where it is we're trying to go. We have agreed on our vision.

and we've agreed on our goals. Now, let's talk about L. Language and communication. Teams don't just make decisions. Teams carry the message. Let's talk about that for just a minute. Teams don't just make decisions, teams carry messages. What message is your team carrying? What message does your team carry into any meeting they attend?

into any feedback session that they are a part of, in any of the work they're doing, what messages are they carrying? Ultimately, we want those messages to be consistent. We want them to be aligned and not just aligned with what other people's messages are, but specifically that those messages are aligned back to what is our vision and mission? What are our top priorities? And how are we checking in and measuring?

things. When we are clear about that, that's what the message is that gets carried out. But let's talk about when we aren't. When we're not really aligned, when we're not truly dialed in collectively, the messages get fuzzy. Sometimes the messages get confusing, and sometimes the messages just flat get lost in translation because we're not really clear on the language that we

should be agreeing on as a team to communicate those priorities, the vision, and the mission. It seems like such a simple thing, but I'm sure all of you have been in those situations on the receiving end of the messages from another leader that weren't necessarily aligned with what other leaders in the building or in the organization were saying. And when those mixed messages start to happen, all of a sudden, people start to

of pull back a little bit. You know, people start to think, wait a minute here, where exactly are we going? That's when alignment breaks down. When we start to share or create these messages, that's when people start to interpret them in ways that don't necessarily fit where we want to try and go. Worse yet,

is when we don't communicate those pieces, when we don't lean into our language and communication, and people aren't certain about what the vision is or where the goal is because it has not even been communicated. When there's that silence, that creates a vacuum. What happens with a vacuum? Other information rushes in, and all of a sudden, we're starting to get messages from all kinds of different directions that people are just, I don't know, coming up with.

saying, I think this is where we're going. Or maybe I might've heard this over here. Those messages, those messages could absolutely lead into a huge cycle of chaos. Sometimes it's what's said after the meeting that matters more than what is said during the meeting. How do you ensure that what is said after the meeting aligns with what was said during the meeting?

It comes back to agreements on your team. Focus on and be very clear collectively as a team, strong teams. This is what I see in really strong teams. They agree on what is going to get communicated, who is going to communicate it, and how it is framed. They ensure not only that decisions are made well, but that the communication around those decisions is communicated well.

That consistency is what builds trust. Confusion, confusion is the opposite. It erodes it. It erodes trust very, very quickly. So when you think about the language, when you think about the message that you're sending, when you think about the communication that your team is carrying, go back to any room where you've made decisions.

and ensure that you are walking away with what gets communicated very clearly, who communicates it, and how it's framed. That is the key to language and communication. That type of alignment, man, that will absolutely help set you up for success. The next piece that I think is absolutely critical is intentional role clarity. Oftentimes,

People lose sight of what role clarity really means. It's not really about a hierarchy or an org chart. Role clarity is about ownership from the individuals, but it's also about communicating who is responsible for what to everyone else that's a part of the organization. Think about a school, for example.

If you work, and I'll use my school as an example where I was a high school principal, four administrators on our leadership team. Each of us had very clearly defined roles. Referred to them as sandboxes. In sandbox A, curriculum, instruction, special programs, anything related to that, that is your point of contact. Sandbox B,

discipline and attendance, anything related to that, that person is your point of contact. Box C, athletics, activities and facilities, anything related to that, that is the person, that is their role. And then finally, Sandbox D, which was the entire sandbox, the building principal, who also had very specific roles, but oversaw those three individuals.

I've worked with leadership teams where it wasn't entirely clear who was responsible for what. Now maybe I'm supervised by somebody because I'm in the math department, but does that mean I have to go to them for everything if I have a question about discipline or if I have a question about facility usage? Maybe I want to apply for a coaching position or I want to talk to someone about professional development.

Who do I go to? That level of role clarity is essential for your team members, but also for the people that you lead so they know who do I talk to when I need this, that, or the other thing.

Your team must also be crystal clear because when people come to them, let's be honest, most leaders, they're fixers. They want to help solve problems. But you should not be solving problems in someone else's sandbox. Make sure you are crystal clear on who is responsible for what because when a question comes to you, you need to be ready to either answer it if it's something you own.

or to connect them with the correct person if it is not something you own. Don't just take a shot in the dark and say, think this is what it is. Make sure that we get them connected with the right team, with the right person. This is something I see in really strong teams. The individuals on the team unequivocally know what they own, but they also know unequivocally what others own. That to me is where leadership team collaboration really lives.

when we are so crystal clear about who does what, what we are responsible for. And more importantly, we're able to then have dialogue and communication and conversation back and forth, asking each other and learning from each other in those individual roles. On teams that tend to underperform, that's when the roles are really unclear. Teams end up with either duplicating work,

or simply missing the work. I had a coaching conversation this week as a perfect example, someone who mentioned that the leadership team had had conversation with a department about some expectations that they had of the department. And it had been a handful of days and they weren't sure whether or not the work had been completed.

In my conversation with the primary leader of the building, he said, yeah, one of us really needs to go and follow up. And I asked him, why weren't you clear from the beginning on who was responsible for following up? For that matter, why was the whole team in that meeting? Could it have just been you or you and one other individual? Was it necessary to have everyone there? That's where we end up with this like duplication of work.

be crystal clear who's responsible, who is going to be the one to follow up, that type of thing. It also can go the opposite direction. And it may have been happening in this particular situation. If you have four people and the statement is one of us will follow up on that, that's pretty ambiguous. You could very easily have people who are avoiding responsibility.

Waiting for the other person to go first, just sitting back saying, well, you know what? Hey, maybe that person will take care of it. You know, hey, we all know Darren's the go-getter. He'll be the one to go do that. I don't need to do that. When that happens, whether you're the Darren in that story who everybody just knows he'll be the one to take care of it, or you're another member of that team who sees that avoidance happening, frustration within the team can build pretty quickly.

When you have somebody who's not necessarily following through on what they should be doing or they're avoiding taking responsibility within the team, man, we've all lived it. We start to get frustrated with that person. We feel like why is that person not pulling their weight? Why is that person not doing their portion of the work? Why do I have to do this for him? That's not my role. That's not my responsibility.

handful of ways to handle that, but it starts with clarity. It starts with intentional role clarity.

Here's a good thing to think about here. I'll give you a reflection question. Where might I be stepping in that actually is keeping someone else from fully stepping up?

I'll say it again, where might I be stepping in that actually is keeping someone else from fully stepping up?

We've talked about this before. In fact, we talked about it in the cycle of chaos. When we start stepping up and we start doing for others what they could do for themselves, we're keeping them from having that opportunity to step up. We're giving them the opportunity to avoid that responsibility.

Let's talk about the next piece, growth. And this is growth through cross-teaming. So we talked about how role clarity is so incredibly important. But one thing we don't wanna have happen with role clarity is that we're so dependent on one individual for one particular portion of a project or for one particular responsibility within the organization that if something were to happen to them,

Maybe they're out sick for an extended period of time or something like that, that now we have literally nobody who can step in. That's why I think cross training is incredibly important. Cross training, when it is done well, builds empathy, it builds capacity, and it builds resilience within your team. A leader that I work with who leads a fairly decent sized tech department,

shared with me recently how he has been intentionally building cross-training opportunities into his leadership team meetings. Not because he wants to replace an individual or something like that, but because number one, he wants a well-rounded team that understands and has strong technology knowledge. But he also wants individuals who own and take

pride in their strengths and are able to share those with others. I it's been incredible watching this take place. Each time they do some cross training, number one, the other individuals are really excited to learn. And number two, the individual who is sharing that particular skill or that particular trait, they take a lot of pride in their work and it's building their team a lot stronger. The goal

is to increase understanding, not to increase control. When it's done poorly, that can erode a team. But when it's done right, teams really, really start to understand a little bit more about how that entire system works. They're not just stuck in a silo, they see that, this is how it all comes together. Also, you have the availability,

to have coverage if something happens without having somebody need to completely take over. I just think it's such a powerful tool to be able to lean in and help each other learn what others' roles and responsibilities are so that when we need that support, when we need help, it's available without giving away ownership of that particular role.

To me, that's the goal of cross training. Continuity, not confusion, continuity. It also builds so much cohesion when it's done right within a team. Finally, that takes me to end. Navigate with intention. This is where the alignment really gets tested because let's be perfectly honest, the work, the work is always loud. The work is always

busy and frantic and urgent. And it's that urgency that always demands our attention. And when we get stuck in urgency, whoo, look out, here comes a cycle of chaos.

But when teams are aligned, when they really, really are dialed in, they don't react. They navigate with intention.

What I mean by that is they revisit priorities on a regular basis. They're really checking in on those things that we talked about at the top of the show. Are we clear on our vision and on our goals? Are we clear on what those top three priorities are right now? And are we clear on how we're measuring progress towards that?

I think that's so powerful, but it takes navigating with intention in order to do that. Navigating with intention will also allow you to name distractions honestly, without judgment. Because let's be honest, sometimes we do get pulled off of task. Sometimes we do get lost in the weeds. Sometimes we become unintentionally misaligned. But when our team is navigating with intention,

It's okay to say, hey, we seem to be a bit off task, or you know what, this particular project seems to have really pulled us away from what we believe to matter most.

Sometimes it's just about pausing long enough to ask a simple question.

How often do you have somebody come to you with an idea? I'll bet it's often.

But do you pause?

Do you pause and really lean into this intentional navigation by asking a question like, will this bring us closer to our goal or will this pull us away from

Sometimes really cool things will come forward. But if they're not designed or will help us get closer to our goal, help us hit those top most important priorities right now.

we probably shouldn't do it. We probably should say, let's consider that for down the road. But misaligned teams, teams that are stuck in constant reactivity, something like that comes forward, yeah, let's do that, let's go. That's how you end up with 25 initiatives going at the same time and that misalignment. And again, it's usually unintentional, but take the pause and say,

Hey, is this gonna move us closer or not? If answer's no, probably shouldn't do it right now.

I think what that takes me back to, heard this said one time, motion doesn't always mean progress.

mean, being busy doesn't mean you're being effective. When you navigate with intention, every step is calculated. Everything you do is done in a very intentional way. Knowing that we are genuinely doing this because it's gonna bring us closer to our goals, that is navigating with intention. And intentional teams,

high quality teams, highly functional teams, protect their focus. They continue to stay focused on the goal. Even when the work gets really, really demanding, even when the work pulls you down into the weeds, they find a way. Get up on the balcony. By the way, the best way to navigate with intention is spend some time on the balcony. You've got to get up out of the weeds. You've got to get up out of the work and take a look and get back to those three things.

Are we focused on our mission and vision? Are we focused on our most important, most important?

Are we focused on our most important priorities right now? And are we continuing to monitor our progress?

That's what intentional teams do. Focus, focus, focus.

All right, let's wrap this thing up. Let's bring this all together. Let's find a powerful way to summarize this. Here's the bottom line. When teams are aligned, that's when we see trust really grow, interdependence really grow within the team. We see tensions go down, we see execution improving. The aligned framework is not about perfection, it's about clarity.

The align framework is all about clarity. And clarity, that's what breaks the cycle of chaos. This ultimately is the antidote to the cycle of chaos.

All right, so if you're listening to this and you're thinking, that sounds like my team, but we're struggling to get there. I want you to know you don't have to figure this out by yourself. You don't have to do it alone. Supporting leaders and leadership teams in this exact work, clarity, alignment, intentional execution, is the heart of what I do. If you're interested in some one-on-one leadership coaching, some team coaching, alignment support, or

Maybe even a dedicated leadership team alignment retreat designed to reset your visions, your roles, your priorities. I would love to connect with you. You can reach out through the website, darrenpeppard.com, roadtoawesome.net, either one, or you can message me directly on social media. I'm at DarrinMPeppard, literally everywhere. Sometimes even just a short conversation can help you identify what the right next step is for your team.

Because again, when teams are aligned, leadership gets lighter and the work gets better. Thank you so much folks for joining me here on the Leaning Into Leadership podcast. Until next time, get out there and have a road to awesome week.