How many articles have you read recently vilifying the “Silo Mentality”? In all of them, you’ll read about a company that is long on competitive drive, but find that their teams are competing against one another instead of working toward the success of the company as a whole. Or there has been a set of boundaries established that are too rigid making it near impossible to develop beneficial lines of communication.
For some businesses, deep expertise in a specific skill or practice area may be essential. In other words, your silo-driven company architecture may be unavoidable even though the trend has lead away from it. The good news is that the silo concept doesn’t have to be a bad thing… unless your teams are unwilling to collaborate with one another.
LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR LEADERSHIP TEAM
Collaborate and Communicate
So let’s say the silo structure is the best fit for your business. How does a successful company avoid the dreaded Silo Mentality?; The short answer is cross-functional collaboration, which is when people from different areas of expertise reach across silos to work toward a common goal.
But if you aren’t set up for it, how can you make it work? As with everything we share with our readers, it starts at the top. Once you have an agreed upon vision for your company and set the path, then communicate it across the company and allow leaders at all levels to be the advocate for your message. Establish a culture of trust, and develop opportunities for ideas and information to pass between your practice areas.
Set the Plan
Creating a clear strategic business plan helps focus your organization and align senior management staff with a shared vision that builds excitement, and provides near and long term direction for all employees. Drawing a map and establishing expectations makes it easier for everyone to follow the path.
Strong Communication Matters
Effective two-way communication is an absolute necessity for building trust, and trust is the cure for most organizational challenges. It allows team members to interact fluidly, with passion, and breaks down the barriers to allow for personal and team growth, and ultimately for the success of your company.
Build Cross-Company Teams
Creating opportunity for collaboration across functions is just like building any strong team. It is an ongoing process that encourages a work-group to evolve and perform as a cohesive unit. By operating under a mutually understood end goal, any team can work together with trust, support, and respect.
Grow Leaders at All Levels
Leadership is a continuous cycle that involves leading self, leading others, and leading the organization. Strong leadership is needed at every level within a company to ensure sustainable growth. By building a strong foundation, leaders will be better equipped to address challenges, adapt to changes, and effectively develop solutions. Identifying upcoming leaders and providing a runway for them will create a depth of opportunity for your company’s future.
Lead by Example
The success of any company starts with the team leader (or leaders) – they set the tone with the examples they set. Creating a culture where communication is encouraged and sharing the results of successful collaboration, will help you expound upon the importance of working together.
|
ELD Executive Leadership Development Strategic thinking and planning Building a culture of accountability and success Leaders teaching other leaders Coaching and mentoring |
|
LDA Leadership Development Academy Principles of empowering leadership Emotional intelligence Coaching and mentoring Influential leadership communication |
|
PTL Pathway to Leadership Principles of Empowering Leadership 5 Roles of leadership Team performance Effective delegation Performance management Team charter |
|
PLE Personal Leadership Essentials Leading self Effective Communication Conflict Management |
Collaborate and Communicate
Creating a culture of trust and establishing lines of communication throughout your company helps leaders address a multitude of organizational challenges regardless of company structure. If a silo-based structure is necessary or preferred, don’t discount the importance of collaboration. Instead, prioritize it.
“Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”
–Andrew Carnegie
Liddell Consulting’s Leadership Development Blueprint provides a unique experience for each leader and establishes a foundation for organizational success. Our blend of learning content, tools, assessments, and expert facilitation provides the ideal approach for quickly addressing challenge areas and achieving lasting results
Start Your Journey to Success
We’re ready, are you?
We know that every company has a unique set of challenges. Our perspective can help simplify what needs to be improved and our time-tested methods can provide clear steps toward your performance goals. Contact Liddell today.