PLAYBOOK: How to Align Conflicting Motivations

Misalignment within a team doesn’t just slow progress—it fractures trust, stalls innovation, and creates tension that drains productivity. Whether it’s conflicting priorities, unclear roles, or differing personal motivations, leaders must have a system to align their teams around a shared purpose.

If left unresolved, misalignment leads to indecisiveness, lack of accountability, and wasted resources. The good news? You can bridge these gaps by fostering trust, establishing clear communication, and reinforcing accountability—without micromanaging or forcing compliance.

At its core, leadership is the activity of influencing others to co-create coordinated movement in pursuit of a worthy ideal. If your team isn’t moving in the same direction, it’s not just a challenge—it’s a failure in leadership alignment. The key to success lies in creating shared ownership of the vision, rather than forcing compliance.

In this playbook, we’ll break down how to identify and resolve conflicting motivations, using principles from empowered leadership, the 4 Pillars of Trust, and proven alignment strategies from Blaine Bartlett’s work on leadership impact.

Key Takeaways

• Why conflicting motivations happen—and why they’re normal.
• How to use Trust & Autonomy, Communication & Transparency, Growth & Innovation, and Systems of Accountability to realign your team.
• A simple framework for resolving misalignment without friction.

Why Conflicting Motivations Exist (and Why That’s Okay)

Every team is made up of individuals with different experiences, goals, and perspectives. Conflicts don’t arise because people are difficult; they arise because people are driven by different priorities.

Some common causes of misalignment include:

• Competing Priorities – One person values speed; another prioritizes accuracy.
• Unclear Goals – The team lacks clarity on what’s most important.
• Personal Motivations – Individual career goals conflict with team needs.
• Breakdowns in Communication – Assumptions replace direct conversations.
• Lack of Trust – People protect their own interests instead of collaborating.

When these go unchecked, your team experiences decision paralysis, missed deadlines, and disengagement.

The solution? Leadership that creates alignment without stripping away autonomy.

Success is about doing the right thing, not about doing everything right - Doland White

The 4 Pillars of Alignment: A Leadership Model That Works

To resolve conflicting motivations, we use The 4 Pillars of Empowered Leadership to bring clarity, accountability, and trust back into the team dynamic.

1. Trust & Autonomy: Build a Culture of Mutual Respect

?? What’s happening?

• People feel the need to defend their position because they don’t trust others to prioritize their interests.
• Team members operate in silos instead of working toward a shared outcome.

?? How to fix it:

• Establish common ground – Start by reinforcing shared values, mission, and vision. People align faster when they see why their work matters and how it connects to a larger purpose.
• Make autonomy the rule, not the exception – Give people decision-making power within clear boundaries so they feel invested in solutions.
• Create psychological safety – Foster an environment where disagreements are welcomed—not punished. This builds trust and minimizes defensiveness.

2. Communication & Transparency: Get Everything on the Table

?? What’s happening?

• People make assumptions instead of clarifying expectations.
• Feedback is avoided because it feels personal.
• Leaders assume alignment without validating it.

?? How to fix it:

• Ask the right questions: Instead of assuming, check for clarity. Ask:

What does success look like for you in this project?

What concerns do you have that aren’t being addressed?

• Use radical candor: Encourage direct but kind feedback to address misalignment before it becomes a problem.
• Align decision-making frameworks: If decisions are inconsistent, use a shared process like the 5-step decision framework from Lead With Confidence to ensure alignment.

3. Growth & Innovation: Find Common Interests in Conflict

?? What’s happening?

• Individuals prioritize personal growth over team success.
• There’s resistance to new ideas because people fear losing control.
• Leaders push change without ensuring the team is bought in.

?? How to fix it:

• Make alignment about opportunity: Frame changes and goals in a way that benefits the team AND the individual. Example: If someone is resistant to a project, highlight how it aligns with their career growth.
• Encourage innovation within alignment: Allow room for flexibility in execution while staying anchored to clear outcomes.

4. Systems of Accountability: Reinforce Alignment Without Micromanaging

?? What’s happening?

• There’s no clear way to measure success.
• Decisions are made, but not followed through.
• People feel accountable to tasks—not outcomes.

?? How to fix it:

• Use outcome-based accountability: Shift from tracking activity to tracking results. Instead of, “Did you complete the report?” ask, “Did the report achieve its goal?”
• Make commitments public: Accountability improves when people share their commitments openly. Try weekly alignment check-ins to ensure progress.
• Tie accountability to empowerment, not punishment: Consequences should drive learning, not fear. Adjust processes, not just performance reviews.

Alignment Without Friction: A 3-Step Framework for Realigning Teams

To put this into action, use this simple process:

Step 1: Identify the Gap

Where is the conflict? What’s the root cause of misalignment?

Ask: What’s the main friction point keeping us from moving forward?

Step 2: Co-Create the Solution

Collaborate with the team to define what success looks like.

Ask: How do we move forward in a way that works for all of us?

Step 3: Implement, Measure, Adjust

Set clear checkpoints and realign as needed.

Ask: What’s working? What needs tweaking?

Key Action Steps

?? Run a 15-minute alignment check with your team: Ask, “What’s the biggest obstacle keeping us from full alignment?” and listen.

?? Use the 4 Pillars to diagnose your team’s misalignment and implement one change this week.

?? Share this post with a colleague who’s struggling with conflicting motivations in their team.

Alignment isn’t about getting everyone to agree—it’s about getting everyone moving in the same direction. Leadership is about co-creating coordinated movement in pursuit of a worthy ideal. That means engaging your team, clarifying their motivations, and ensuring that trust, communication, growth, and accountability drive performance.

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