The Simple Shift That Transforms Senior Teams
You know that feeling.
You’re surrounded by talented people—smart, capable, experienced—but somehow the team isn’t clicking. Communication breaks down, priorities clash, and collaboration feels harder than it should be.
You know the team is capable of so much more. But something’s off.
Here’s one of the most common—and fixable—mistakes we see in senior leadership teams:
They define “my team” as the people who report to them… not the peers they sit alongside.
It might sound minor, but this mindset can silently sabotage performance across an entire business.
The Cost of Misaligned Teams
Let’s say you’re leading a construction company. Your business development manager lands a huge contract—but the delivery team can’t realistically deliver on what was promised. Or your marketing team runs a campaign for a product that’s out of stock, leaving sales and customer service scrambling.
Sound familiar?
These aren’t just operational hiccups. They’re symptoms of a bigger issue: leaders acting in the interest of their own department, not the business as a whole. They’ve defined “my team” as their direct reports, instead of their leadership peers.
The result? Teams that protect their turf, optimize for their silo, and miss the opportunity to operate as a true unit. These are functional departments—not high-performing teams.
Great Teams Redefine “My Team”
Good companies might survive this. Great ones don’t tolerate it.
In great companies, senior leaders understand that their real team is the group of people they lead with, not just the ones they lead. They prioritise cross-functional alignment, collective decision-making, and shared outcomes. They hold each other accountable. They’re aligned on strategy and united in execution.
When leadership teams shift this mindset, everything changes. Priorities become clearer. Communication improves. Tension decreases. And execution accelerates.
It’s not about abandoning loyalty to your department—it’s about expanding your commitment to the business as a whole.
How to Start the Shift
The first step is simple: call it out.
Start a conversation with your leadership team. Ask them who they consider their “real team.” Discuss how that definition affects their behaviour, decisions, and focus. You might be surprised by what you hear.
Then, do the hard work of realigning. That might mean a facilitated offsite, team coaching, or simply committing to new norms and expectations. Whatever the format, make it clear that collaboration at the top is non-negotiable.
Let’s Talk About Your Team
We’ve spent more than 30 years helping leadership teams work through challenges like this—and the results can be transformational.
If this resonates with what you’re seeing in your organisation, give us a call on 1300 551 274. We’ll help you bring your senior team together, shift their mindset, and build the kind of alignment that great companies are built on.
Because when senior leaders truly operate as a team, the whole organisation wins.
