Two of my executives are highly capable but constantly act passive aggressive toward each other, agreeing to terms in our Level 10 Meetings™ but then running their departments in complete silos. How do we break down these walls and force real peer collaboration?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When executives agree in public but run their departments in silos, you do not have a communication problem, you have a trust problem. They are engaging in status management, protecting their own turf instead of focusing on the greater good of the organization.

To fix this, you must enter danger and address the behavior directly. During your next Level 10 Meeting™, call out the passive aggressive behavior the moment it happens. Use the IDS® process to bring the conflict to the table.

Force them to solve the issue together. Remind them that they are members of the leadership team first, and heads of their departments second. Their primary loyalty must be to the leadership team.

You can also assign them a shared quarterly Rock that requires their mutual cooperation to achieve. When their individual success is tied directly to their peer's success, they will be forced to collaborate. If the silo behavior continues, it becomes a core values issue of teamwork and accountability, and you must address it as a people issue.