Ever walked out of a strategy meeting feeling confident… Only to realize two weeks later that every team interpreted the plan differently?

It’s like everyone heard the same song title…

But walked away humming their own tune.

The Watermelon Phenomenon

At a global manufacturer I worked with, every team proudly showed off green KPIs.

Quality? Green.

Budget? Green.

Timeline? Slight delay… but green enough. From a distance, the project looked like a success.

But the actual product launch was six months late. Why?

Because “green” meant something different for everyone. And no one had stopped to check if all those greens added up to shared success.

The dashboard looked aligned. The teams? Not even close.

What’s the Leadership Principle Involved?

This isn’t about incompetence. It’s about false alignment. And it’s dangerous.

John Maxwell said,

“People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.”

But they also need to understand the vision in real, practical terms.

And Robert Cialdini’s research shows that once people say what they’ll do, they’re far more likely to follow through, because of the principle of Commitment & Consistency (Cialdini, 2021).

That’s why it’s not enough to explain the plan. You need to hear it back. In their words.

The 4R Alignment Check

Here’s what I teach my clients:

The 4R Alignment Check

• Re-State: “What’s your version of the plan?”
• Rank: “What comes first, second, not at all?”
• Role: “Who owns what?”
• Risk: “What could throw us off track?”

When teams answer these questions together, misalignment surfaces fast. And you catch confusion before it turns into delay.

Reflective Questions

• What’s one project where you assumed alignment, but things went off course?
• Which of the 4Rs would have helped avoid that?
• Where can you apply this check this week?

If your team is showing signs of “watermelon leadership” (green outside, red inside)… Try the 4Rs before your next sync.

And if you want the printable checklist, drop me a note. Let’s close this gap together.

Florin

PS:

Join the free session:

📅 Tuesday, August 5 – 08:00 CET

🎯 When Teams Pull in Different Directions: How to Close the Alignment Gap

🎟 Register here

You’ll walk away with the 4R checklist and answers to your real-world alignment challenges.