WEEKLY WISDOM - ALLEGIANCE VS ALIGNMENT

Allegiance: devotion or loyalty to a person, group, or cause

Alignment: an arrangement of groups or forces in relation to one another

These are two words that have been used when speaking of the company you either work for or the company that you started. Also, they have been used in the political, racial, and economic arenas. So, what is allegiance and what is alignment?

Let’s flip them and start with alignment. According to Merriam-Webster, it is an arrangement of groups or forces in relation to one another. We look to align our teams to execute the vision and mission of the company and many times we want to bring people on to our teams that align with our thoughts and perspectives.  Now to allegiance. Allegiance is the devotion or loyalty to a person, group, or cause. Loyalty will get you and your team through the tough or challenging times if you have built enough relational capital and have acted with character and integrity throughout the process.

Let’s flip the script once more. In thinking about your own personal and professional relationships, who or what are you aligned with and who or what do you pledge your allegiance to? In many cases, it is not an “or” issue, it can be “both/and” as well. This challenged me to truly consider where I am spending my time, effort, and energies with organizations, companies, and relationships that could be either life giving or energy draining.  It took me a while to align myself with the right organizations and relationships and to pledge my allegiance to life-giving spaces.

I placed in order of priority my allegiance that truly aligned with the value system the best represented my heart and purpose. Those are the Gospel Trinitarian (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) along with the Bible being the ultimate authority as to where my life is directed. Following is my wife whom I have made a sacred covenant with for better or for worse till death do us part. My sons and their families (future) to always be a lighthouse and path to the truth and support their continued maturity in every aspect of their lives. Next to my family and friends who subscribe to the value of “Iron Sharpening Iron”. My allegiance relates and responds to relationships. I make my decisions on what organization or company I work for or support if we are aligned with similar values. So, the alignment decisions become more transactional in nature. Here’s an alignment example; the companies that I have worked for aligned with my values in that they supported the community at a high level, their ethics were of high standards, and they believed in developing their employees.

Here's the big thought; allegiance will always top alignment! Allegiance is relational and life-giving. Alignment is transactional and congruent.

The challenge is to determine with whom your allegiance lies and what you will align yourself to. These decisions will impact the rest of your life and as a leader. Hebrews 13:15 states Through him, then, let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which proclaim allegiance to his name.

(ENGAGEMENT)

Exercise Your Power this week 

1.      Name those relationships that confirm your allegiance.

2.       Identify actions to keep you focused on your allegiance and criteria for alignment.

3.       Determine the organizations that you align with.