Our department heads are highly capable, but they are fiercely protective of their own divisions and treat our executive meetings as a negotiation rather than a collaborative effort. How do we break down these silos and lower self-orientation?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When leaders protect their own silos at the expense of the overall company, they are operating with high self-orientation. This destroys trust and slows down execution. To break this dynamic, you must change how your leadership team views their primary allegiance. In EOS®, we teach the concept of the First Team. Your department heads must realize that their first and most important team is the leadership team, not the departments they lead. Their loyalty must be to the enterprise first. Start by realigning your leadership team on the V/TO®. They must collectively own the company vision and the financial targets. Next, structure your Level 10 Meeting™ so that issues are solved cross-functionally. Use the IDS® process to force leaders to work together on solutions that benefit the entire organization, even if it means their individual departments must sacrifice resources. You can also leverage the trust equation by actively rewarding vulnerability. When a leader admits that their department is struggling and asks for help, praise that behavior. This reduces defensive posturing. If a department head continues to hoard resources, protect their silo, and act purely out of self-interest, they are violating your Core Values and failing to GWC™ their seat on the leadership team. You must address this behavior directly or accept a fragmented business that is impossible to scale or exit.