7 Symptoms of Performance Misalignment

Is your team feeling a bit off? Performance misalignment starts like a slow fever—subtle, persistent, and easy to dismiss. But left unchecked, it quietly erodes performance, trust, and culture. Spot these 7 symptoms of performance misalignment before they become a full-blown crisis.

7 Habits of Highly Effective Managers

  1. Goals on the back burner
    Symptom: No one can remember the team’s top 3 priorities.
    Root cause: Strategic clarity is fading. Teams may be busy but not aligned with business outcomes.

  2. Meetings are status-only
    Symptom: People talk at each other instead of with each other.
    Root cause: Psychological safety and shared ownership are low. Meetings are no longer meant for problem-solving.

  3. Decisions questioned after meetings
    Symptom: Lack of buy-in shows up after the meeting—not during.
    Root cause: Decision-making isn’t inclusive. People don’t feel heard, so they disengage or resist later.

  4. Slow or zero feedback
    Symptom: Work moves forward, but learning doesn’t.
    Root cause: Teams aren’t iterating. Without feedback, mistakes repeat and growth stalls.

  5. Everyone works hard, but in silos
    Symptom: Collaboration happens by accident, not design.
    Root cause: Silos are forming, cross-functional alignment is missing, and shared goals are unclear.

  6. Busy work but unclear outcomes
    Symptom: Everyone is busy, but progress is hard to define.
    Root cause: Activity is mistaken for impact. Teams need better metrics and visibility into results.

  7. Low energy, even among top talent
    Symptom: Disengagement doesn’t always mean slacking. It often means confusion.
    Root cause: Motivation is tied to meaning. When direction is unclear, even top talent loses momentum.

💡 Great leaders don’t wait for misalignment to blow up. They spot the symptoms early: use this list as a quick alignment checklist during your next check-in meeting. And if you’re seeing these signs, it might be time to rethink how your team sets goals, gives feedback, and stays connected.

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