My department heads are highly protective of their own budgets and staff, which leads to siloed thinking and constant turf wars. How do we get our leadership team to make decisions for the greater good of the entire company?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Siloed thinking occurs when leaders view themselves as representatives of their departments rather than members of the leadership team first. To break down these silos, you must establish a clear rule: once you enter the leadership room, your department hat comes off and your leadership hat goes on. Your primary loyalty must be to the leadership team, not to your direct reports. Start by aligning everyone around the shared numbers on your weekly Scorecard. Ensure that the metrics they track reflect the health of the entire business, not just their individual silos. When discussing strategic issues or allocating resources during your quarterly planning sessions, refer back to your V/TO. Every decision must align with your one-year plan and three-year picture. If a department head resists giving up resources or budget that the company needs elsewhere, use the IDS process to address the issue openly. Remind them that a win for their department is a loss for the company if it starves another critical area. By consistently prioritizing the enterprise-level goals and holding everyone accountable to the same high-level outcomes, you will transition your department heads into true enterprise leaders who collaborate for the success of the whole business.