Strategic alignment for organizations at inflection points

Why is momentum hardeven when direction is clear?

Alignment turns direction into traction.

More Momentum Clarity Buy in Results through Alignment

When messaging, decisions, and daily actions align with identity, initiatives gain momentum and marketing works the way it should.

1

Clarify

Identity
Current Reality
Direction

2

Align

Language
Decisions
Systems

3

Activate

Marketing
Communications
Campaigns

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Brand strategy helps organizations clearly see who they are—or intentionally become who they’ve decided to be.
•
That identity becomes credible when language, decisions, and daily practice align.
•
When they do, momentum multiplies without increasing spend.

Alignment Tree

Framework

How Alignment Works

Organizations function like a tree. When roots, trunk, branches and leaves are aligned, the tree thrives and produces fruit.

1 - Roots

Brand Identity – Who you are at the core:

Foundational Beliefs, Mission, Values, Personality, Audience

1 of 5 2 - Trunk

Brand Expression – How you communicate who you are:

Messaging & Visual Communication

2 of 5 3 - Branches

Brand Structure – Where the work happens:

Channels, teams, and initiatives

3 of 5 4 - Leaves

Brand Experience –How your reputation is formed:

Customer & Employee Touchpoints

4 of 5 5 - Fruit

Results – What alignment produces:

Trust, traction, growth, and reputation

5 of 5

Brand Strategy

Clarity & Direction

  • Interviews, Audits, & Surveys
  • Brand Codex
  • Audience & Stakeholder Personas
  • Engagement Pathway
  • Marketing Roadmap

Brand Expression

Systems & Alignment

  • Core Messaging Framework
  • Visual Identity System
  • Visual and verbal frameworks that make complex ideas clear
  • Team Alignment Sessions
  • Decision & Communication Guides

Brand Experience

Amplification & Momentum

  • Campaigns, Events & Launches
  • Websites & Digital Presence
  • Print & Publications
  • Wayfinding, Culture Signage & Displays
  • Production Management

Examples of alignment in action
See Case Studies

A strategic partner for organizations at inflection points

I’m Sharie Schnell, founder of Maxim.

For more than two decades, I’ve helped mission-driven organizations clarify direction and align their messaging, teams, and marketing so initiatives gain real traction.

Most clients come through referrals at key moments—new leadership, new strategy, or major initiatives. What they discover is that momentum depends on more than marketing. It depends on alignment across identity, communication, and daily decisions. That’s the work I lead.

I help executive teams:

  • clarify who they are and direction
  • align teams and messaging
  • translate strategy into action

Brands ring true when they line up from roots to fruit. That resonance attracts the right audience, eliminates friction, and amplifies your marketing efforts.

Clients include advisory firms, ministries, educational institutions, and organizations such as National Religious Broadcasters, Medi-Share, and World Hope International.

“Strategy moves when words and actions match.”

If you’re at an inflection point and want your organization moving in the same direction, let’s talk.

Schedule a Call Now!

Frequently Asked Questions

Most organizations consider this work when they’re heading in the right direction but want things to move more smoothly and consistently. It’s usually a fit when:

  • a new strategy or initiative needs organization-wide adoption
  • leaders want teams speaking and acting from the same playbook
  • marketing is active, but momentum depends on broader alignment
  • decisions feel heavier than they should
  • there’s a desire for clearer traction, not just more activity

This isn’t about fixing something that’s broken. It’s about ensuring that direction, communication, and execution reinforce each other so progress becomes easier to sustain.

I work at the intersection of:

  • strategy
  • leadership alignment
  • messaging
  • execution

Marketing and branding are often part of the solution—but rarely the whole solution.

When direction is clear but momentum is uneven, the issue is usually upstream: how teams interpret the strategy, how decisions reinforce it, and how consistently it shows up in daily practice.

I help organizations align those elements first, then build messaging, design, and marketing systems that carry that alignment forward.

Usually at an inflection point:

  • new leadership – clarified strategy
  • repositioning or growth
  • major initiative or campaign
  • desire for stronger internal alignment

Leaders sense the opportunity ahead and want to ensure the organization moves in the same direction.

I work alongside internal teams and existing partners or I can bring in specialists where there are gaps.

My role is to help leadership clarify direction, align messaging and decisions, and build systems that make everyone’s work more effective. When alignment is clear, marketing becomes more focused and initiatives gain traction.

It usually reduces friction.

Alignment work surfaces and resolves inconsistencies that already cost time and energy. Once teams share a clear direction and language, decisions become easier and marketing becomes more effective.

Leadership engagement is important, but the process is designed to create momentum, not add complexity.

We’ll talk through your direction, where momentum feels slow, and what’s currently in place. You’ll leave with a clearer sense of whether alignment work would help—and whether I’m the right partner. There’s no obligation to move forward.