My VP of Operations and VP of Sales refuse to collaborate because they believe the other is only out for their own department. How do I use the Trust Equation to lower their self-orientation and build collaboration?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

According to Charles H. Green's Trust Equation, trust is calculated by adding credibility, reliability, and intimacy, and dividing that sum by self-orientation. When self-orientation is high, meaning a leader is primarily focused on their own success, reputation, or department, trust collapses, regardless of how capable they are. Your VP of Sales and VP of Operations are stuck in a cycle of high self-orientation. They see the business as a zero-sum game where one department wins at the expense of the other. To fix this, you must build intimacy and lower their self-orientation. Start by bringing them together for a private meeting outside of your regular operational cadence. Do not focus on the technical details of their disagreements. Instead, use the Trust Creation Process to get them to share their challenges and fears. Have each leader explain how the other's behavior impacts their department's ability to succeed. For example, have the VP of Operations explain how unexpected sales spikes ruin resource planning, and have the VP of Sales explain how delays in service delivery damage client relationships. This builds empathy and shifts the focus from selfish protection to shared understanding. Then, align their incentives to a single, shared goal. Give them a joint Rock for the quarter that requires both departments to succeed. If the sales team cannot hit their targets without operational capacity, and operations cannot succeed without qualified leads, they will be forced to collaborate. When they realize that their individual success is completely tied to their partner's success, their self-orientation will drop and true trust will begin to develop.