Why I Now Obsess Over Alignment
I've learned that the cost of rushing partnerships is always higher than the cost of patiently assessing whether you are spiritually and operationally aligned.
I've learned what not to do in business the hard way. Looking back, I recognize I wasn't doing business the God way. But what does that even mean?
Well, here's how not to do business the God way:
I've been eager to sign on to opportunities that felt hyped up, especially when the person had business success, clout, or money. I made assumptions about operational alignment without doing the work to understand how people actually operate—partly because I hadn't developed much spiritual discernment myself until recently.
It will take me years to develop a strong thesis of how to do business the God way. But one principle that feels clear from my failed experiences is that I believe...
God does not want me to rush into partnerships.
People are everything in business. If you're going to do things the God way, before you partner with anyone on a business, you have to completely trust them. Not just trust—you have to know them and know you're aligned on how to run the business. You need confidence that no matter what circumstances arise, you can handle them lovingly without reflecting the negative patterns of the world.
What happens if one partner gets sick and can't work? What if they have a baby? What if they lose interest? You have to be aligned on how you will operationally handle foreseeable business challenges in an unambiguous, perhaps legally binding way.
It's not about assessing people being good or bad. It's about dispelling the notion that you can just assume you share common sense about how to do business and handle challenges.
"Common sense" is one of the worst phrases ever created because there's no such thing. People operate extremely differently. Even people who think they could work well together often aren't a good fit. When push comes to shove and friction appears in the business, people's real character emerges. Real incompatible differences in how to handle situations surface. Breakups happen easily.
My advice to myself: even if you'd like to see a big business created with a friend, that doesn't mean you have to do it. Certainly not until you get aligned on everything worth aligning on. Spend the extra time upfront to understand how each person operates. Some people expect to be the final decision-maker even when you say you're equal co-founders. That may not be okay with you.
Important: If anyone feels above doing the pre-alignment work, they're not the right partner for me.
In my view, obsessive documentation to get neatly aligned—paired with a clear record of mutual sign off—before you start is essential.
I don't want to do business with rushers or short-term thinkers. Getting super aligned helps everyone stay accountable to the highest versions of themselves that were reflected in the agreement they signed onto.
People change their minds—we should know we're prone to this. Why pretend we're above these conversations that could save us from unnecessary conflict? If we can't even handle the alignment conversations, we shouldn't be creating something together.
Challenging situations can be more easily navigated by deferring to the agreement. You just have to achieve clarity and agreement beforehand.
So, don't rush.
Move on God's timing.
Work with people who can do business in a way that reflects divine patterns.
If you have prepared yourself to be worthy to contribute to a divinely patterned business, trust that God has been preparing the right partners for you to work with.