A certain archetype typically comes to mind when people think of a leader: confident, assertive, determined, in charge, etc. Those characteristics are great in many situations but not necessarily when they lead to toxic conflict between leaders in an organization.
While most companies have a single leader in the form of a CEO, many companies also have a number of more junior leaders in charge of different departments and teams, and these leaders need to be able to work together effectively for the company to achieve it’s potential.
Valuing Collaboration
Leadership “clashes” and interpersonal conflict at the executive level don’t have to lead to shouting matches in the boardroom. Often, clashes manifest themselves much more subtly, such as foot dragging when required to support another group, a lack of transparency, and interdepartment communication.
“It’s not uncommon for talented leaders to find collaboration unnatural,” write Ron Carucci and Louis Velasquez in an article for Harvard Business Review. “After all, rugged individualism set them apart and propelled their careers. And for many, that same focus on distinguishing themselves later becomes their demise. Harvard Business Review research reveals that the top reasons for collaboration failure include silos (67%), no collaborative vision from leaders (32%), and senior managers not wanting to give up control (32%).”
As noted above, some of the top challenges for leaders involve the very personality traits that make great leaders in the first place. But there’s a time and a place for things like competitiveness, pragmatic decision-making (i.e., without regard to personal relationships), and a take-charge attitude, and dealing with colleagues of a similar seniority level isn’t necessarily one of them.
Leaders should be encouraged to be open, collaborative, and supportive with their colleagues, and that encouragement can even include impacts on how those leaders are evaluated and, ultimately, how they’re compensated.
The Bottom Line
Encouraging greater leader-to-leader collaboration should be a priority for all businesses. Leaders who work well together spend more time brainstorming how to improve the company and are more supportive of cross-functional goals and relationships. That collaboration is also something that’s witnessed further down the organizational hierarchy, boosting the collaboration and success of the organization as a whole.
Lin Grensing-Pophal is a Contributing Editor at HR Daily Advisor.