The Feedback Habit That Transformed My Leadership—and How You Can Use It to Build a Better Team

I once wrote the perfect strategic plan…and it still failed.

As a commander in the Air Force, I spent months drafting a detailed annual strategy for our organization. The plan had a clear vision. It reflected solid priorities. And to be fair, it did push the organization in a good direction. But halfway through the year, I noticed something wasn’t working.

Our squadrons weren’t moving at the same pace; some were duplicating effort while others were building in silos. Despite all of us technically “moving forward,” we weren’t moving forward together.

That’s when I realized: I had aligned our mission, but I hadn’t aligned our people.

The Missing Link: Aligning Individual Goals with Team Goals

Leaders often believe that alignment revolves around strategy documents and overarching vision. While that is part of it, true alignment occurs when individuals can see how their goals connect to the team’s goals. Without that connection, teams become fragmented, efforts become inefficient, and feedback becomes frustrating because everyone is working hard but in different directions.

The following year, I implemented a simple change: before we launched our new three-year strategic plan, I met with each squadron commander. Together, we aligned their individual unit goals with our organizational objectives. We created space for them to shape their paths but ensured we were all heading towards the same destination.

What happened?

• Collaboration increased.

• Redundancy disappeared.

• And for the first time in my tenure, the entire team felt like a team.

This shift taught me one of the most powerful feedback habits a leader can adopt: alignment.

How to Align Goals So Feedback Actually Works

Most feedback cultures fail because they treat feedback as an isolated event. But feedback isn’t a correction; it’s a connection, a check-in, a recalibration. For that recalibration to matter, you must be clear about what you’re calibrating toward.

Here’s how to build alignment into your leadership practice:

1. Start with Shared Clarity

Before any feedback loop begins, ensure that every team member is aware of:

• What the team is trying to accomplish.

• Why it matters.

• How success will be measured.

If your goals are vague, your feedback will always seem reactive or misguided.

2. Tie Individual Goals to Team Outcomes

Don’t simply ask, “What are your goals?” Instead, inquire:

• “How does this move the team forward?”

• “Where does this connect to our broader mission?”

• “Is there overlap with another department or team?”

Feedback is more effective when everyone understands they are part of something bigger and recognizes how their role contributes to that.

3. Revisit and Realign Regularly

Alignment isn’t a one-time event; things shift and goals evolve.
Build regular checkpoints into your calendar, not just for progress updates, but for alignment check-ins. Ask:

• “Are we still pointing in the same direction?”

• “Has anything changed that we need to address together?”

The Bottom Line

You can’t fix a misaligned team with more feedback. However, you can prevent misalignment by integrating feedback into your alignment process.

Leadership isn’t just about setting the direction; it’s about ensuring everyone sees it, believes in it, and feels equipped to move toward it.

When you align purpose with progress and connect individual effort with team outcomes, feedback stops being a performance review and becomes a shared pursuit of excellence.

This article was also featured on Medium.

About the Author

Clayton Thompson, Ph.D., is a Colonel in the U.S. Air Force with over 20 years of leadership experience. He is the author of the upcoming book RA-RA Feedback: It’s Not a Moment. It’s a System! for building trust, accelerating growth, and creating a leadership advantage.