The leadership playbook is the trifecta of alignment, assignment, and execution. Alignment locks everyone onto a shared vision. Assignment puts the right players in the right roles with the knowledge to succeed. Execution brings it home with heart, turning plans into wins with passion and grit. Rooted in mom’s rule—treat people right—it’s about building trust and driving results, like a squad executing a perfect fourth-quarter drive.
Why the Playbook Matters
Creates Unity: Alignment, assignment, and execution sync teams, boosting performance by 30% (McKinsey, 2023).
Drives Results: Each pillar builds on the last, turning vision into action. Teams with all three outperform competitors by 25% (SHRM, 2024).
Builds Trust: Mom’s advice shines—treating people with respect across all three fosters loyalty, cutting turnover by 15% (Gallup, 2024).
How to Build the Playbook
Set the Vision (Alignment): Define a clear goal, like “grow revenue 10%,” and communicate it relentlessly, per Simon Sinek’s “why,” and then make sure every resource is aimed at the vision.
Assign Roles (Assignment): Match people’s strengths to roles. Train them to excel, ensuring knowledge fits the goal.
Execute with Heart (Execution): Lead with passion, empowering your team to act. Celebrate wins of all sizes to keep morale high.
Connect the Three: Regularly check that vision, roles, and actions align. Don’t set it and forget it. Stay coaching and checking in on activity.
Where the Playbook Goes Wrong
Misaligned Vision: Vague goals, like “be the best,” derail focus, like a team without a game plan. Stay locked in on the goal.
Wrong Assignments: Mismatched roles, too many cross-over positions, or weak training.
Heartless Execution: No passion or trust. A coach I know stresses constantly, you do it for the person to your left and right. Unfortunately, this can be forgotten or ignored on the job, but teams that care for each other, hold each other accountable and support each other win. Players who show up just for their highlight or paycheck, individual performance might be “ok,” but the team will suffer. This is solid sign of how strong your culture is.
Fixing a Weak Playbook
Clarify the Vision: Restate the goal simply, daily, like Jordan Peterson’s “proper aim,” and lock on.
Reassign and Retrain: Adjust roles and boost skills to match the vision.
Reignite Heart: Show empathy, trust your team, and lead by example, per mom’s wisdom.
Sync Up: Use check-ins to keep alignment, assignment, and execution tight.
Real-World Impact
In the Office: A company aligns on “customer-first growth,” assigns data-driven roles, and executes with passionate service, hitting 15% revenue growth.
In Life: A family aligns on “better health,” assigns workout roles, and executes with daily jogs, staying motivated together.
On the Field: A football team aligns on “win the title,” makes a few defensive adjustments, and executes with heart, clinching a 10-2 season.
My Call
The leadership playbook—alignment, assignment, execution—is like a perfect game plan: vision sets the target, knowledge arms the team, and heart seals the win. Mom’s advice—treat people right—fuels every step, creating a squad that trusts and delivers. It’s not easy work, but if you want to have success—anywhere—it’s mandatory work. I cant stress enough, have an aim and lock in—then take every tool, resource and teammate you have and prepare them for the mission—then go get it. My favorite drill we run is pursuit drill. All of my players know this. This is the drill and as simple as the drill is, its line up—get your read—go to the ball with everything you have. Early in the season, we mess it up often, and I’m fortunate enough given time to “allow,” the error. Then we do it again—and again—and again, until there are no errors and only then are we ready to win.