Recognize Your First Team
“First Team” is a concept introduced by Patrick Lencioni that emphasizes the importance of senior leaders prioritizing their peers at the executive level as their primary team. This idea can sometimes be overlooked as leaders equate the frequency of interaction with their first team, often considering the teams they manage directly as their primary team. However, senior leaders must remember that their true first team is cabinet-level or C-suite peers.
June Leadership Tip 2️⃣ : Recognize Your First Team
Why is this distinction important? Understanding who constitutes your first team shapes your priorities, decision-making processes, and the way you allocate your time and resources. The stakes are high at the senior leadership level, and the decisions made have wide-reaching implications across the entire organization. When senior leaders view their direct reports as their primary team, they may inadvertently prioritize departmental goals over organizational ones, leading to siloed thinking and fragmented strategies.
Recognizing your first team as your executive peers ensures that you are aligned with the organization's overarching goals and vision. It fosters a culture of collaboration, where leaders work together to address complex challenges and make decisions that benefit the entire organization rather than just their departments. This alignment is critical for creating a unified leadership approach and driving the organization forward cohesively.
One common pitfall is equating the frequency of interaction with the team's importance. Leaders often spend more time with their direct reports, leading to a natural but misguided perception that this group is their primary team. However, the depth and quality of interaction with your executive peers truly define your first team. It’s about prioritizing strategic conversations, cross-functional collaboration, and shared accountability at the highest level.
In our experience working with senior leadership teams, we’ve seen how transformative it can be when leaders shift their focus to their first team. It enhances strategic alignment, improves decision-making, and fosters a culture of mutual support and accountability. Leaders who embrace this concept are better equipped to navigate complex organizational challenges and drive sustainable success.
By recognizing your first team, you not only enhance your effectiveness as a leader but also contribute to the overall success and cohesion of the organization. Over the next few weeks, stay tuned as we delve deeper into more strategies that can elevate your leadership practices.
Remember, understanding and prioritizing your first team is not just a strategic move—it’s a commitment to leading with a broader perspective that benefits the entire organization.
