I strongly dislike "alignment" as a buzzword, and I think its existence is ipso facto an indication of our industry's dysfunction, but it nevertheless represent

I strongly dislike "alignment" as a buzzword, and I think its existence is ipso facto an indication of our industry's dysfunction, but it nevertheless represents a legitimately important concept. You, your manager, and (to quote the article) some appropriate number of your skip-levels should ideally agree on what the most important next work items are. And to the extent that you don't, that's a problem for you as the individual contributor. Is this right? Is this fair? Of course not. Not in any moral sense, at least. But those are the cards we're dealt, and we play them as best as we can. The article is right that, on some level, we are paid to do what we are told to do. This is not a great outcome. Some of us are fortunate enough to have some sway in the opposite direction. This is the so-called "managing up" - another buzzword I strongly dislike, but again represents a legitimately important concept.