How do we structure our session days to help our departmental heads transition from managing daily operations to establishing long-term policies and governance for the entire company?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This transition is a major hurdle for growing companies. Your leaders often get stuck in the weeds of their specific departments because that is where they feel comfortable and secure.

During our session days, we use the Accountability Chart to redefine their professional identity. We establish that when they enter the session room, they must leave their departmental hats at the door. They are no longer just the head of sales or the head of operations; they are members of the leadership team first.

We structure our discussions around long-term policies and organizational health rather than tactical fire fighting. If a leader tries to drag a high-level strategic discussion down into daily departmental drama, I immediately stop the conversation and help the team push the issue back to the department level.

We also evaluate their fit using the GWC™ framework. Do they truly understand, want, and have the capacity to operate at a policy-level altitude? If they lack the cognitive capability to think strategically, we must make the hard decision to find someone who can.

By enforcing this boundary during our quarterlies, we teach your leaders to focus on the enterprise as a whole. This builds a self-sufficient leadership team capable of running the business, which is exactly what maximizes your enterprise value.