Early in my career, I found myself in one of those corporate team-building exercises we've all endured. Our facilitator presented us with what seemed like an impossible task, and as she circled the room, she kept repeating a phrase that made me roll my eyes: "Sometimes we win by giving it all away."
Like any ambitious young professional, I was focused on maximizing my individual performance. I had my strategy, my approach, and my determination established so I could stand out. The facilitator's words seemed like corporate nonsense – after all, how could giving anything away possibly lead to winning?
Unsurprisingly, our team lost that day. In the debrief, we learned that the only way to solve the "impossible" task was through radical collaboration – giving away our best ideas and resources to other teams, who would then do the same, creating a multiplier effect that would have led to everyone's success. That lesson – and that seemingly simple phrase about winning by giving it all away – has echoed throughout my career, becoming more profound with each passing year of leadership experience.
Now I find myself thinking about that team exercise every time a reorganization is announced. You know the moment: the news drops, and suddenly the teams you've carefully built, the projects you've nurtured, and the responsibilities you've mastered are all up for redistribution. Just like in that training room years ago, your instinct is to hold on tight, to protect what you've built, to run your strategy at all costs. Your empire, your successful outcomes, your high-performing teams – they've become "yours" in your mind, haven't they?
But here's what that younger, eye-rolling version of myself needed to learn, and what every senior leader must eventually understand: your grip on "your" territory might be exactly what's holding both you and your organization back from something greater.
Redefining Success at the Senior Level
The classic "Who Moved My Cheese?" parable feels inadequate when you're at the helm of a large organization. At this level, it's not just about adapting to change – it's about orchestrating it. Much like my younger self in that team exercise, many of us start our careers thinking success is about individual achievement. But true leadership requires a broader perspective.
Let's challenge our definitions. Who is the "we" in your success equation? If you're focused solely on your direct span of control – your title, your team size, your project portfolio – you're playing too small a game. At the senior level, your team includes your peers in the C-suite, your board of directors, and ultimately, your shareholders. Your success is measured not by the size of your empire, but by the strength of the entire organization.
This shift in mindset requires deep collaboration, particularly with your peers. When leaders engage in open dialogue, share resources willingly, and align their goals with the greater organizational mission, the collective impact amplifies.
Collaboration and the Science Behind Letting Go
Harvard Medical School professor and biomedical engineer Jeffrey Karp offers powerful insights about innovation in his book "LIT: Life Ignition Tools." Karp shows how to unlock human potential by tapping into heightened brain states and transforming intentions into action. His research reveals that breakthrough innovations emerge from unexpected cross-domain connections - a principle that applies directly to leadership. For example, sometimes the visionary who brilliantly developed a project isn't the best person to scale it. Fresh perspectives don't just add value – they're essential for breaking through plateaus.
Here's the uncomfortable truth: you can be comfortable, or you can grow. Pick one. Just like in that team exercise years ago, the security of holding onto our individual approaches often prevents us from seeing the bigger winning strategy, and developing as leaders ourselves.
The Strategic Advantage of Giving
When you're willing to release control of projects or teams, something magical happens. You create space for:
- Unexpected innovations through new leadership perspectives
- Cross-pollination of ideas between different business units
- Accelerated career development for your high-potential leaders
- Enhanced organizational resilience through distributed expertise
Receiving with Grace and Strategy
Of course, reorganizations are rarely one-way streets. As you give away projects, you'll likely receive new ones. This is where senior leadership qualities truly shine:
- Honor the work your peers have built
- Mine the institutional knowledge for insights about what worked and what didn't
- Bring your unique perspective to elevate these initiatives further
Had I understood this during that early team exercise, I might have seen that the "impossible task" wasn't about individual performance at all – it was about collective capability. Through collaboration, you leverage collective wisdom to move initiatives forward more effectively.
The ROI of Collaboration
What do you really gain by giving it all away? Consider these returns:
- Broader organizational influence beyond your direct control
- Stronger peer relationships across the executive team
- Enhanced reputation as a collaborative senior leader
- Increased organizational agility and innovation
- More opportunities for strategic impact
Collaboration at this level creates a ripple effect throughout the organization. By letting go and allowing others to lead where it makes sense, you help build systems that adapt, innovate, and flourish.
Looking Ahead
In today's business environment, the ability to fluidly reorganize and adapt is a competitive advantage. The leaders who thrive aren't those with the biggest territories – they're the ones who can orchestrate success across the entire organization.
The next time reorganization looms, remember my team-building story. The facilitator wasn't just sharing a cute phrase – she was teaching a fundamental truth about leadership: our greatest wins often come when we stop protecting our territory and start enabling others' success.
Remember: The most influential leaders aren't those who hold on tightest – they're the ones who know when and how to let go.
