To prepare our company for an eventual acquisition, we recently hired three high-powered executives from outside the company to join our leadership team. Now, we have a clear divide between these new, metric-driven corporate leaders and our original, relationship-driven managers. How do we fast-track vulnerability trust on this blended team so we can start solving issues cohesively?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A leadership team split between legacy, relationship-driven managers and newly hired, metric-driven corporate executives is a recipe for operational paralysis. Cracks at this level appear as canyons to the rest of your organization, so resolving this division is your top priority.

To fast-track vulnerability trust, you cannot rely on casual social outings. You must engage in deep, structured team-building exercises during your leadership team offsites. Start by having every leader share their personal histories and complete a behavioral assessment, such as Kolbe or Myers-Briggs. Sharing these profiles helps the team understand how each member communicates and processes information, removing the assumption of bad intent.

Next, the Integrator must model vulnerability. When leaders see the executive team admit mistakes, ask for help, or acknowledge their own GWC™ gaps, it lowers the barrier for others to do the same.

Use your weekly Level 10 Meeting™ to force healthy conflict. Encourage the legacy managers to challenge the new executives on culture, and push the new executives to challenge the legacy managers on operational metrics. Once the team realizes that challenging each other does not damage their relationships, they will begin to function as a single, cohesive unit working toward your exit goals.