At SRA, we often talk about being people-first. But the truth is, being people-first also means being process-aware, emotionally intelligent, and willing to admit when things aren’t syncing.
That’s not a weakness. That’s the work.
Because alignment doesn’t magically happen during orientation. It doesn’t show up because we all logged into the same video call. And it definitely doesn’t come from just saying “we’re one team.” It happens when we’re asked to rise to something bigger than our comfort zones. It’s built in motion, often under pressure, and sometimes after we stumble through it the hard way.
We lived this story.
Our teams came from different structures and ways of operating. Different systems, different decision speeds, and different communication styles. On their own, each of those approaches worked really well. But together? Not at first.
Messages overlapped. Deadlines were misread. There were times when everyone was working, but still not quite working together. And slowly, that created friction. Small things like duplicated tasks or misaligned expectations added up and made the work feel heavier than it should have.
No one was doing anything wrong. But we weren’t flowing. And we knew we could do better. Then came the client project that would quietly change everything.
It wasn’t just another assignment. It was fast-paced, high-stakes, and it had real visibility. There was no time to pause and perfect the plan. We had to trust each other, communicate fast, and adapt as we went. That experience pushed us out of our separate bubbles and into one shared mission.
I always encourage stepping with clarity and steadiness. Instead of telling people what to do, helping each other listen better to each other. Delivery leads broke down complex needs into clear actions. Recruiters moved quickly, filled gaps, and asked the right questions. And as the pressure grew, something surprising started to happen.
We began to lean in. We stopped assuming someone else had it covered and started asking, “How can I help?” We dropped the habit of waiting and embraced initiative. We started noticing each other’s working styles and learning how to support them, not compete with them. What we gained was not just a successful delivery. We built something deeper — trust, rhythm, and mutual respect.
That project turned out to be the alignment moment we didn’t know we were waiting for. And it shaped how we work today. Now, our collaboration feels more natural. Our calls are clearer, our feedback is faster, and our wins feel shared. There’s a foundation of understanding that you only get when you’ve worked through misalignment and come out stronger on the other side.
At SRA, our biggest advantage isn’t just our talent or technology. It’s our people’s willingness to grow through discomfort. It’s the way we choose conversation over assumption. And it’s our ability to evolve, again and again, in pursuit of something better.
Alignment isn’t automatic. It’s earned. It’s not a fixed state. It’s a constant choice.
And the more we choose it, the more unstoppable we become. We weren’t always this aligned. And that’s what makes the version of us today something worth building on.