Moving from individual contributor to leader isn’t about authority, confidence, or even strategy. It’s about alignment — and most leaders underestimate how brutal, complex, and consequential that shift really is.

In this episode of The Business of Alignment, AJ breaks down what actually changes when you stop leading yourself and start leading others. Not just direct reports — but energy, trust, decision velocity, partner relationships, board confidence, brand perception, and long-term outcomes you may never immediately see.

This is a candid, unfiltered look at leadership reality:

• Why one missed conversation can unravel years of trust

• How lack of transparency creates hesitation, attrition, and stalled decision-making

• What it really means to “peer around the corner” as a leader

• Why alignment is not a soft skill — it’s a risk management discipline

For CEOs, CHROs, CFOs, COOs, and senior leaders navigating scale, complexity, and pressure in 2025 and beyond, this episode introduces a practical mental framework to evaluate decisions before they ripple across people, partners, customers, and the business itself.

Alignment isn’t optional. It’s the difference between momentum and quiet chaos.