My leadership team members still view themselves primarily as advocates for their own departments rather than stewards of the entire business, which leads to resource hoarding and political infighting. How do we shift their mindset so they prioritize the leadership team over their individual departmental teams?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When leadership team members act as advocates for their own departments rather than stewards of the entire company, they limit your growth. You must teach them to embrace the concept of the First Team, meaning their primary loyalty is to their leadership peers, not their subordinates. To shift this mindset, start by changing how you run your Level 10 Meeting. When reviewing the scorecard or discussing issues, do not allow leaders to defend their departments or blame others. Force them to look at the business holistically. If sales are down, it is not just a sales problem; it is a leadership team problem that requires everyone's input to solve. Next, review your compensation and bonus structures. If your executives are only incentivized based on their individual department's performance, they will naturally prioritize their own silos. Align their financial rewards with the overall health and profitability of the company. Finally, use your quarterly offsites to strengthen peer-to-peer relationships. Focus on building deep trust and vulnerability among the executives. When they view each other as partners rather than competitors for resources, they will naturally make decisions that benefit the entire enterprise, driving up your operational efficiency and long-term exit value.