BIG IDEA: Infighting drags a company down. You need a one-company mindset.
I saw a funny cartoon once that poked fun at organizational life. The top panel had a drawing of a CEO working alone in the serenity of his office. Then there were three other panels beneath that top one. They showed employees and managers at different levels of the company fighting one another. There were no words or captions. The messages were instantly obvious: the CEO was oblivious to what was really going on in their company, and the employees thought it was okay to be fighting with their peers every day of the week.
When I work with CEOs, those who aren’t as oblivious as the one in the cartoon, many share a common lament: “Why can’t we operate as one company?” They see all the infighting, internal hyper-competing, and posturing. They see how divisive it is and how it erodes productivity and culture. Yet many feel powerless. Their impassioned pleas for a more united front go ignored.
I’ve lost count of the companies I’ve worked with that don’t have a one-company mindset. CEOs understand it’s critical for the success of their companies. But many leaders struggle.
We all need to do better. If we do, it will set our organizations apart.
WHY IT MATTERS: Putting self-interest aside is good for your career.
A lot of organizations we work with talk about the need for enterprise leadership—leaders able to lead with a one-company mindset and act in the best interest of the organization. However, Gartner’s research finds that most organizations believe that only 12 percent of leaders are able to do this effectively.
No matter what organization you’re working for, I can pretty much guarantee that if you focus on promoting a one-company mindset with your team, you’ll be aligning yourself with one of your CEO’s top concerns.
Looking out for yourself may seem like the savvy thing to do for your career, but in the long run, you will develop a better reputation and a better career if you’re known for being a good collaborator and for never hesitating to do the right thing.
THE IMPACT: A one-company mindset is critical to company performance.
Our research also validates the importance of having a united front. We asked respondents to rate whether the senior executives and managers in their organizations lead with a united front and are seen to be working well together.
Do you know what we found? The same pattern that we have found in all our research: a connection between performance and culture. At industry-leading companies, 74 percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that their leaders demonstrated a united front and worked well together. Only 62 percent of leaders at average-performing companies and 46 percent of poor-performing companies agreed. Another significant difference, with significant results.
The same pattern emerges when we look at types of leadership culture: 83 percent of respondents in inspiring leadership cultures agreed or strongly agreed that their senior executives and managers demonstrated a united front, compared to only 54 percent in neutral and 53 percent in weak leadership cultures.
WHAT TO PAY ATTENTION TO: Do you have a functional mindset—or a one-company mindset?
Like most leaders, you have spent a lot of time in a functional area: sales, marketing, corporate, operations, etc. This tends to create a sort of rigidity in how leaders think about their work.
Reflect for a moment on how much time you spend focused (or preoccupied) with leading inside your team and your functional or business unit, rather than thinking about what’s best for your entire company. If you are like most leaders, the answer is a lot.
Challenge yourself to think beyond your team and your department. Focus on the company’s strategic goals. When you’re planning your week, your month, or your quarter, ask yourself how your priorities align with the company’s priorities. Check in regularly with peers from other departments to see how you can collaborate and help one another solve problems. Getting stuck in a silo will hold you back in your career—and hold your organization back.
NEXT STEPS:
For more tips on how to build a one-company mindset, order Community of Leaders today.
