The effectiveness of an organization is often determined not by the talent of individual leaders, but by how well its executives coordinate with one another.
Many leaders rise through organizations because they are strong advocates for their teams. They secure resources, defend priorities, and advance initiatives. These capabilities are strengths, but once leaders reach the executive level, the job changes. Senior leaders are no longer responsible only for the success of their function. They are responsible for the success of the entire enterprise.
Imagine a group of professionals meeting every day to solve some of society’s most complex problems, yet many are primarily focused on representing their own interests rather than solving the larger issue. We see this dynamic frequently in places like Congress or international bodies such as the United Nations, where representatives advocate strongly for their constituents or countries. While the intention is to protect their group, the result can often be gridlock.
A similar pattern often emerges inside organizations. Executive teams bring together leaders from functions such as marketing, finance, operations, technology, and HR, each with deep expertise and loyalty to their department. Yet when leaders approach executive discussions primarily as representatives of their function, the organization begins to operate more like a coalition of departments than a unified enterprise.
Leadership consultant Patrick Lencioni captures this tension with a powerful question: Which team is your first team? Most executives sit on two teams—the leadership team they are part of and the team they lead. The challenge is that many leaders instinctively prioritize the latter. However, organizations perform best when executives recognize that their first team is the leadership team they sit on.
Below are several leadership practices that help executive teams operate as a true first team.
1. Shift from Functional Advocacy to Enterprise Stewardship. Many executives enter leadership meetings wearing their functional hat. Marketing advocates for marketing priorities, engineering pushes engineering initiatives, and finance emphasizes financial discipline. These perspectives are valuable, but when leaders focus primarily on defending their department, decision-making becomes fragmented. High-performing leadership teams evaluate decisions based on what best advances the organization as a whole, even when the outcome does not directly benefit their function. For example, an executive team might debate how to allocate additional investment capital. A functional mindset pushes leaders to argue for their department’s priorities. An enterprise mindset evaluates where that investment will create the greatest value for the company.
Management thinker Peter Drucker emphasized that the role of senior leadership is to optimize the performance of the entire system, not simply the efficiency of individual parts. A well-known example comes from Pixar’s leadership team. During the production of early films, directors, animators, and technical leaders gathered in what became known as the Braintrust. Participants were expected to critique the film candidly, regardless of department or role. As Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull explained, the purpose of these meetings was never to protect a function but to make the film better.
2. Align at the Top to Create Clarity Below. Organizations often underestimate how much executive alignment shapes the rest of the company. When the leadership team is aligned around priorities and decisions, clarity cascades throughout the organization. Teams understand the business direction and coordinate their efforts more effectively.
When alignment is missing, confusion spreads quickly. Middle managers receive conflicting signals and must navigate disagreements among senior leaders. Departments begin competing rather than collaborating. In one rapidly growing technology company, leaders from product, sales, and operations frequently disagreed on priorities but avoided resolving those tensions directly. Teams lower in the organization spent significant time negotiating across departments rather than executing strategy. Organizational scholar David Nadler described the senior leadership team as the linchpin of organizational effectiveness.
3. Be Willing to Disappoint Your Own Function. One of the clearest indicators of enterprise leadership is the willingness to support decisions that may not benefit your own department. Enterprise-first decisions might involve reallocating budget, delaying a project your team cares about, or shifting resources to support another strategic priority. These moments can feel uncomfortable because leaders care deeply about the people and goals within their department. However, when every executive fights primarily for their own function, the organization becomes a collection of competing silos. Leadership advisor Ram Charan has long emphasized that modern organizations require leaders who can work across boundaries rather than reinforce them.
4. Protect Your Team Without Fueling Silos. Prioritizing the leadership team does not mean abandoning the team you lead. Executives still have a responsibility to develop their people, advocate for resources, and create the conditions for their teams to succeed. However, strong leaders avoid framing organizational challenges as battles between departments. Instead, they help their teams understand how enterprise-level decisions support the broader strategy. When leaders reinforce shared purpose rather than departmental competition, organizations operate more cohesively. Strong organizations succeed not because one function performs exceptionally well, but because their leaders operate as a coordinated system.
Leadership in Practice. Executives who want to strengthen their leadership team as the first team can begin with a few practical habits:
• Enter executive meetings with an enterprise mindset, not a functional one
• Evaluate decisions by where they create the greatest value for the organization
• Support peers when enterprise priorities require difficult tradeoffs
• Avoid framing cross-functional issues as departmental battles
• Reinforce alignment so priorities cascade with clarity throughout the organization
When executives truly operate as a first team, organizations benefit from stronger alignment, faster decision-making, and greater collaboration.
Quote of the Day. “The most important team for an executive is the leadership team they sit on, not the team they lead.” — Patrick Lencioni
Reflection Question. When making important decisions, do you primarily advocate for your function or for the enterprise? Comment and share below; we’d love to hear from you.
As an executive leadership coach, I work with leaders to strengthen their team effectiveness and help organizations operate with greater alignment, contact me to explore this topic further.
The next blog in this series 2/4 will focus on horizontal leadership.
How do you coordinate with your executive team?