Hi friend,
A warrior once said to me,
“Silos of excellence, that’s the US government.”
I will keep her name classified. At the time, she had worked for the federal government for more than 20 years. Probably 30, I can’t remember.
We had formed a connection, and for her counsel, I was grateful. She kept me out of a sticky situation or two and helped me get into ones that made a difference.
She was with a three-letter agency that affects US policy in places that end in stan or are republics of the banana or vodka variety. Her fluency in Russian, tradecraft, and no BS attitude would take her to other places that mattered even more (hint: we all recently learned how to pronounce the capital correctly).
Silos are Deadly
If you’ve worked in an organization that takes more than a couple of pizzas to feed, you have experienced silos. While I love silos on the skyline, I hate them inside organizations. They are the barrier to high performance. The reasons for their existence vary with more factors than we have pixels to discuss, but two proliferate.
Communication Is Key
In new organizations, it’s often simple. The new humans don’t know the other new humans in their neighboring silo. Culture is likely less to blame here. Instead, it’s communication. It’s that party as an awkward teenager or introverted adult - you gravitate to who you know. We crave familiarity, and when we establish relationships, we return often. The solution is easy (ish).
Buy more pizzas and get people talking. Focus on communication, connection, and building community. Educate each other on who we are and what we do.
Competition Is Killing You…From The Inside
In mature organizations, it’s a bit more complicated. Limited resources like time, money, and glory may encourage people to build defensive walls. Pay particular attention to glory. This is another word for credit, career path, or compensation (not just the money part).
If you sense this, be warned - you must act quickly. Chances are, the leader of that team is the instigator or, at a minimum, bears some fault. Their ego, selfishness, or insecurity is causing the behavior. Be swift in your action.
It’s A Leadership Issue
You need leaders to solve it—leaders who consider the entire team. You have to wage war, but it doesn’t have to be clandestine. Be loud, specific, and consistent. This is from Ben Horowitz:
"There are two kinds of cultures in this world: cultures where what you do matters and cultures where all that matters is who you are. You can be the former, or you can suck."
From General Jim Mattis:
"I don’t care how operationally brilliant you are; if you can’t create harmony—vicious harmony—on the battlefield, based on trust across different military services, foreign allied militaries, and diplomatic lines, you need to go home, because your leadership is obsolete."
Harmony is not always the answer. With the door shut, encourage disharmony. Kicking, screaming, and fighting are welcome. If you make decisions without disagreement, you probably need to try harder.
When the door opens, there can be no silos or friction. You must work your A$$ off to create harmony between teams. Communication, and the resulting trust, are execution grease. This takes work, time, and humility.
If you lead humans, ask yourself each night, “Did my actions today make the team better or worse?” Whatever your answer, you have another shot in about eight hours to break down silos and insist on mission-focused harmony.
Take Aways:
1. If the teams are new, connection and education (Who are the humans? What do they do?) is the answer. Be intentional about establishing connective tissues across teams.
2. If competition is driving silos, look at the leaders. Be clear on your expectations. If they don’t deliver, take action.
3. Leaders exist to make teams more effective. Do that enough days in a row, and you will accomplish your mission. Both for the team and for yourself. Consistency, care, and conviction - every day.
Silos of Excellence