When leaders and executives think of their “team,” they often think of their direct reports or the department or division they are responsible for…
While it’s great to have the best interest of your individual team in mind, this kind of thinking runs the risk of creating silos within an organization – where departmental teams are ‘competing’ rather than ‘collaborating’.
Your “team” isn’t only the people who report directly to you. Your team is also the group of people, your peers, who are leading teams alongside you.
It’s actually in the best interest of your direct reports and the overall organization if you’re fully invested in your senior team of neighboring departments.
Here’s why.
When we think only of our immediate team, the following are likely to happen:
● We focus primarily on our own goals and objectives. When other departments’ goals appear to be in opposition to ours, we get defensive because we feel like we’re competing against other teams for resources, time or budget.
● Each department becomes siloed and the organization as a whole becomes segmented. There’s no open communication or a sense of each part supporting the other. This ‘disjointedness’ is costly to the bottom line.
● The senior team becomes splintered and lacking in relational and operational unity. Misalignment and competing priorities become the norm, and it confuses and frustrates those we’re leading.
The reality is the executive team is just as much a TEAM as each departmental team. The key to fixing this tendency is in the culture of the senior leadership team.
Here are ways to consider:
● Be clear and AGREE on the most important priorities and initiatives that will truly move the organization toward the vision. Too many priorities means there are no priorities.
● Create an open flow of communication. And be consistent – all of the senior leaders should be speaking the same message.
● Understand and appreciate the challenges outside of your immediate team. Ask questions. Develop empathy (not to lower your standards – but to understand the full context).
● Go out of your way to help others (within reason), and they will more than likely do the same. You will be modeling great teamwork to do so.
● Value interconnectedness and interdependency. Realize that accomplishing your team’s goals is actually dependent on every team accomplishing their goals. Each team being successful is the key to productivity, not the hindrance to it.
The more the senior team is aligned, collaborative, and willing to engage in resolving business challenges holistically, the more effectively they can move the organization forward together – and the more this culture of teamwork will filter down throughout the organization.
If you’re interested in accelerating the way your senior team works together, contact me. We can talk more about a customized solution for your team!