Is your team truly aligned?

Over the past couple of months, I’ve been working with founders and leaders on communication, goal setting, and team alignment. One simple test keeps proving invaluable:

Ask each team member—individually—what the company’s North Star is for 2025.

What are the 1-2 things that absolutely must happen this year?

▶️ Is it growth? How much?
▶️ Is it revenue? What number defines success?
▶️ Is it progressing your tech from TRL 2 to 5?
▶️ Is it hitting a specific COGS target or production milestone?

The specific goal matters less than alignment—every single person on the team needs to know the target and be pulling in the same direction.

A few years ago, I heard Ben Davis-Hunt speak about the mindset of “Does it make the boat go faster?” It’s a story about the Great Britain Mens Eight rowing team winning gold at the Sydney olympics. It is absolutely worth reading or watching, but the key takeaway is this:

📌 When teams lack alignment, resources get pulled in different directions, and the loudest voices often win.

Instead, imagine if every single person on your team woke up each morning asking:

💡 What can I do today to make the boat go faster?
🔹 Define a clear North Starn (the key priority for 2025)
🔹 Repeat it until you’re sick of saying it—that’s when it’s finally sinking in
🔹 Provide regular updates so everyone sees progress

A North Star alone isn’t enough—it’s only as powerful as the systems behind it. But without one, how can your team move in the right direction?

Does your team have a well-defined North Star for 2025?