I feel like my leadership team members are more focused on protecting their own departments and status than on what is best for the overall business. How do we build trust and eliminate this self-absorption?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When leaders focus solely on protecting their departments, it indicates a high level of self-orientation, which actively destroys organizational trust. To eliminate this self-absorption, you must build vulnerability-based trust.

Utilize the framework from the Trusted Advisor Fieldbook, which emphasizes being other-focused. Challenge your leaders to look at every decision through the lens of what is best for the entire business, not what makes their job easier. During your IDS sessions, call out self-serving behavior immediately.

Encourage your team to ask how they can support other departments to hit their goals. As trust builds, your leaders will feel secure enough to admit mistakes and ask for help without fear of political fallout. Shifting the focus from self-protection to mutual support is the only way to build a high-performing executive team.