When leaders talk about alignment, it often comes down to one thing: setting priorities.
However, too many companies think alignment means leaders deciding what matters and teams simply executing.
That’s not alignment. That’s instruction. And it’s one of the fastest ways to kill motivation and initiative.
True alignment comes when priorities are co-created and teams feel ownership of the plan, not just responsibility for carrying it out.
This approach can boost morale and make businesses faster, more resilient, and better equipped to handle complexity.
In this article, we’ll explore why shared priorities unlock intrinsic motivation, and practical tips managers can use to build alignment from the ground up.
When teams don’t have a say in setting priorities, three things can happen:
However, when people help decide what matters, they feel a sense of ownership. And ownership is one of the most powerful motivators.
Research by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan on self-determination theory shows that humans are most motivated when three psychological needs are met: autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
In other words, people thrive when they have freedom, the chance to grow, and a sense of belonging.
“Rather than waiting for the world to give them what they want, people can become more proactive in making things happen for themselves.” - Edward Deci
This captures why shared priority setting is so powerful. It gives people the agency to shape both their work and its outcomes.
Leaders sometimes resist shared planning because they worry it will create chaos. Clarity doesn’t have to mean control though.
The leader’s role is to set strategic direction: the vision, the goals, and the non-negotiables. Within that, teams can shape the how and help define the what.
For example, leaders might define a goal such as increasing customer retention by 20%.
Teams then collaborate on which priorities will help to achieve this goal. Marketing might suggest a referral programme, or product teams might push for onboarding improvements.
Leadership sets the destination, but teams shape the route.
This approach strengthens buy-in and produces better ideas. The people closest to the work are often best placed to see what’s realistic, what’s risky, and what trade-offs are worth making.
Clarity comes from leaders setting the direction, not dictating every step.
Many companies are experimenting with shared approaches to planning and seeing big results. These examples show that priorities become stronger when teams are part of the process.
HolidayCheck
HolidayCheck, a European travel platform, found itself drowning in 170 competing OKRs across teams. This led to a lack of focus. By running collaborative planning workshops and cutting the number of priorities down to fewer than 20, they achieved sharper alignment and stronger delivery.
Mantra Health
At Mantra Health, early-stage chaos meant teams juggled 15+ projects at once, with little alignment across departments.
A new Head of Business Operations refined the company’s OKR process to focus on fewer, cross-functional objectives.
By limiting each level to just three objectives and creating alignment up front, teams learned to prioritise strategically and collaborate across sales, marketing, and product.
This shift not only cut noise and prevented overwhelm but also boosted employee buy-in, helping staff become more decisive.
The result was fewer projects, stronger focus, and long-term alignment.
You don’t need a full reorganisation to bring teams into priority-setting.
A few simple practices can make a big difference:
Shared priorities aren’t a one-off exercise. There should be regular discussion, trade-offs, and adjustments.
Shared priorities work best in organisations where people genuinely feel invested in the outcome. That’s why employee share schemes are so powerful.
When employees own a stake in the company, they don’t just want to execute tasks, they want to steer the ship.
When people have a stake in the business, the conversation shifts. It’s no longer about instructions, but about shared ambition and the best way to succeed as one team.
Priorities stick when people feel a real sense of ownership, both in their work and in the company’s success.
If alignment in your business looks like leaders deciding and teams executing, you’re building compliance rather than alignment.
The strongest companies set direction from the top but build priorities from the ground up.
As Edward Deci reminds us, people are most motivated when they can proactively shape their own outcomes.
Leaders who embrace this will build teams that don’t wait for orders, and build alignment together.
Want to see how employee share schemes can make shared priorities stick in your business? Book a call with Vestd.