Is Your Executive Team Aligned or Simply Coexisting?

Dr Ruby Dhalla

At Dhalla Group, we’ve learned that the real strength of an organization isn’t found in its balance sheet, brand power, or even its market position. It’s found in the alignment of its leadership team.

 

Many companies appear to thrive on the surface, hitting quarterly targets, expanding portfolios, and maintaining operational stability. Yet behind the scenes, something less visible often erodes potential: a leadership team that functions as a collection of high-performing individuals, rather than a high-performing team.

 

According to McKinsey & Company, 63% of executives believe their leadership teams are ineffective at collaborating. That’s not just a statistic. it’s a warning signal. Poor collaboration at the top leads to inconsistent messaging, fragmented decision-making, and strategic drift. Even the most talented executives can unintentionally pull the organization in different directions when alignment, trust, and shared accountability are missing.

 

So, how can you tell if your executive team is truly united or simply coexisting under the same roof?

 

Here are some revealing signs:

• Team members interact mostly during operational meetings, not beyond them.
• When one leader struggles, others offer sympathy but not support.
• Relationships remain cordial yet shallow — built on courtesy rather than trust.
• Feedback is filtered, cautious, or absent altogether.
• Team development is viewed as optional, often postponed “until things slow down.”

If these patterns sound familiar, you’re not alone but you’re also sitting on an opportunity. A disconnected leadership team doesn’t necessarily signal dysfunction; it signals untapped potential. The question is whether the CEO is ready to address it directly.

 

The most effective CEOs understand that their first team isn’t the broader organization, it’s the executive team. Their role isn’t just to set the vision, but to ensure that the top leadership functions as one cohesive, accountable, and trust-based unit. That unity is what drives clarity, agility, and performance across every layer of the business.

 

At Dhalla Group, we’ve seen this dynamic firsthand. When executives operate as a unified force, meaning openly communicating, supporting each other, and aligning around shared priorities, performance doesn’t just improve, it multiplies. Decisions become faster. Conflicts become constructive. Energy shifts from defending turf to driving progress.

 

Building that kind of cohesion doesn’t happen organically. It requires intentional effort, structured dialogue, clear commitments, and sometimes the humility to bring in an outside perspective. Whether through facilitated team development, leadership workshops, or regular alignment sessions, investing in executive cohesion always pays exponential returns.

 

The transformation is visible not only in results but in culture. Employees sense when the leadership team is aligned: messages are consistent, direction is clear, and accountability is modeled from the top. A cohesive leadership team creates an organization that’s not just operationally sound, but emotionally intelligent and strategically unstoppable.

 

A high-performing leadership team doesn’t just guide a company – it elevates it.

 

So ask yourself: Is your executive team working together to lead transformation, or simply managing their individual responsibilities? The difference between the two can define whether your organization grows incrementally or exponentially.