The CEO presents the strategy at the quarterly all-hands. Slides are clear. Q&A is energetic. The recording goes in the wiki. Three weeks later, the work hasn't shifted. Why?

Because broadcast is not alignment. Alignment is what happens when the system that holds people's day-to-day work reflects the new direction. A talk doesn't change priorities. A reorganised backlog does.

The substitution

After every all-hands, ask one question: what initiative was started, stopped or re-prioritised this week as a direct result of what was said? If the answer is "we're still digesting it," the answer is none. The talk landed in heads but never reached the work.

What alignment requires

• A place where every team's current work is visible against the strategy
• A mechanism that flags work which no longer maps to a stated priority
• A cadence shorter than a quarter for re-anchoring

Without those three, the all-hands is a morale event with a strategy theme. Useful, but not alignment.