Nurture: The Discipline of Sustained Focus

Nurture: Part 5A of the ALIGN Series
Absorb | Legitimize | Integrate | Grow | Nurture

In this series of posts, I introduce each stage of the ALIGN Framework, a method designed to align leadership and engage staff. My premise is simple: when leadership is aligned, brilliant ideas take flight, and when staff is engaged early to shape the details, those ideas are far more likely to be adopted. Staff feel valued, heard, and involved. It is a win win for the organization.

Have you ever felt that a new initiative was finally gaining momentum, only to have direction shift again as attention moved to the next pressing priority?

Nurture is the phase of the ALIGN framework where leaders take responsibility for maintaining focus, allocating resources, evaluating progress against expectations, and making deliberate adjustments to stay on course.

From Launch to Longevity

Once a program or initiative is launched, attention often shifts to what comes next. Resources get reallocated, the project team move on, and what once felt urgent begins to fade into the background.

Alignment is an active state that requires sustained attention. Once a project or initiative is implemented, it can take months or even years for practices to be fully adopted. Many organizations underestimate this ongoing need for focus and support. Without continued attention, early gains can stall before they are fully realized.

Without that attention, small gaps widen. Gains slow. Momentum fades. What began as a promising new approach risks becoming another short-lived effort remembered only for its kickoff meeting.

Nurturing alignment means maintaining focus and checking, over time, whether practices are still serving the purpose they were designed to advance.

Embed What Matters

Nurture is the stage where leaders work to embed priorities into the operating culture of the organization. Evidence of this shows up in what is discussed, what is reinforced, and what becomes part of the regular flow of work.

Leaders can ask themselves:
Where is this priority showing up in how we plan, meet, and make decisions?
What signals reinforce that it still matters?
What systems or incentives might be pulling us in a different direction?

Embedding a practice into the work stream  happens through repetition, reinforcement, and visible leadership commitment. When leaders keep naming what matters and model it consistently, alignment becomes self-sustaining.

Manage Resources

Intentionally letting go of activities, products, or services is a strategic act of stewardship. It creates capacity for what matters now and recognizes that time, energy, and budget are finite. By making clear choices about where resources are invested, leaders signal that priorities are real and that focus is being directed toward what will most advance the organization’s success.

Review Progress and Adjust Intentionally

Nurture requires leaders to regularly evaluate whether expectations are being met. This means reviewing progress against intended outcomes and making adjustments when results fall short or conditions change.

An initiative can be technically successful and still miss its mark. A system may work as designed while creating unintended consequences for staff or for customers, clients, or partners. This is where leaders stay connected to the people closest to the work, examine real outcomes, and make thoughtful course corrections so effort remains aligned with the organization’s purpose.

Nurture in Practice

Nurture is the discipline that sustains the alignment built through the earlier stages of ALIGN in service of organizational effectiveness. It is where leadership presence, accountability, and culture converge to steward focus and follow-through over time.

In practice: progress reviews tied to outcomes, leadership accountability for resourcing priorities, and deliberate decisions about what continues, what evolves, and what stops.