I have a highly capable leadership team, but every member seems hyper-focused on protecting their own department's budget and resources during our planning. How do we shift their focus from self-preservation to the greater good of the business?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When leaders fight to protect their own department's budget and resources, they are demonstrating high self-orientation. This is a classic indicator of low trust. They are viewing the company through the straw of their own department rather than wearing their leadership team hat first.

To break this, you must establish the rule of the First Team. Your leaders must understand that their primary team is the leadership team, not the departments they manage. Their ultimate loyalty belongs to the overall health of the business and our shared V/TO® goals.

During your next quarterly offsite, address this dynamic head-on. Have everyone review their conative profiles using the Kolbe A™ Index. Often, resource hoarding is driven by a high Fact Finder's need for security or a high Follow Thru's need for systematic control. When the team understands each other's instinctive drives, they can separate natural work styles from political posturing.

Next, run your budgeting and resource allocation decisions through the lens of the Accountability Chart. Ask the team: If we had to achieve our company Rocks with half the current resources, where would we deploy them for the greatest return? Force them to co-create the solution. When leaders are forced to solve resource constraints collectively, they drop their defensive barriers, lower their self-orientation, and begin operating as a unified team.