Real vs. fake alignment between a CPO and CTO shapes the entire organization's speed and confidence. Through two contrasting personal experiences, the author illustrates how unresolved misalignment between C-level leaders silently flows down to teams — causing slow decisions, risk aversion, and mixed signals. The 'Alignment Tax' compounds when leaders avoid hard conversations in favor of politeness. True alignment isn't the absence of conflict but the ability to work through it honestly. Four diagnostic questions help assess whether a CPO-CTO relationship is genuinely aligned or merely functional on the surface.
Table of contents
The Real One: A Crisis That Built Something LastingThe Fake One: Polite, Slow, and DamagingWhat the Difference Actually Comes Down ToThe Alignment Tax and What It Costs Your TeamHow to Know If Your Alignment Is RealIf You Suspect Your Alignment Is Fake Right NowSort: