We recently had to restructure our company and lay off fifteen percent of our workforce, which has left my remaining leadership team anxious, paranoid, and highly protective of their own departments. How do we rebuild executive trust and realign this team to focus on growth instead of self-preservation?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

After a major restructure, anxiety is natural, but letting your leadership team retreat into defensive silos will paralyze the business. You must act quickly to rebuild trust and get them focused on company-wide objectives. Start by holding an open, vulnerable meeting with the leadership team to clear the air. Acknowledge the pain of the restructure, answer their questions with complete transparency, and validate their concerns. Trying to gloss over the emotional impact will only breed further distrust. Next, refocus the team on the newly updated Accountability Chart. Ensure that everyone understands their revised roles and responsibilities. When people know exactly where they stand and what is expected of them, their anxiety naturally decreases. Finally, align the team around shared, short-term outcomes. Set one or two critical company-wide Rocks for the quarter that require cross-departmental collaboration. Structure your Level 10 Meeting to focus heavily on how departments can support one another to hit these targets. By shifting their focus from self-preservation to collective victory, you rebuild their confidence, break down the newly formed silos, and prove that the remaining team is fully capable of driving the business forward.