Why Your Top Team Isn’t a Team? (and What to Do About It)

If I had a dollar for every time a CEO told me, “My leaders are rockstars individually, but they just don’t work well together,” I’d be writing this from a beach in Bali.

It’s a common refrain—and a costly one.

You’ve hired the best. You’ve got a room full of smart, driven, and capable leaders. But when it comes to working as a cohesive unit? Crickets. Or worse, conflict, silos, and missed opportunities.

The result? Slower decision-making, weaker execution, and a leadership team that feels more like a collection of solo players than a symphony.

Sound familiar?

The truth is, building top-team synergy isn’t about fixing individuals. It’s about fixing the?system?they operate in. And as an #Organization Development Consultant, I’ve seen this play out time and again.

Let me share a story that might hit close to home.

The Turning Point: A Story of Transformation

Early in my career, I joined an organization in its rapid-growth phase. We were scaling fast, and with each new leader came a unique style—and cultural baggage. The result? Inconsistent decisions, misaligned practices, and a leadership team that struggled to find common ground.

I brought this to the attention of the Managing Director. To his credit, he didn’t just acknowledge the problem—he was eager to solve it. He recognized that the issue wasn’t about individual capability but about how the team operated as a system.

Together, we designed a one-year?#Executive Team Development intervention?in partnership with Prof. TV Rao Rao and other OD experts. We called it the?“In-depth Development Dialogue Process.”

Here’s what we did:

1. #Human Process Labs: Facilitated sessions to surface tensions, build trust, and align on shared goals.
2. #360-Degree Feedback: Every leader, including the MD, received candid feedback from peers, direct reports, and stakeholders.
3. #Executive Coaching: Leaders created personalized development plans and presented them to the team, fostering accountability.
4. #Real-Time Progress Tracking: Over three quarters, leaders sought ongoing feedback and refined their approaches, gradually reducing reliance on external facilitation.

By the fourth quarter, the process became self-regulated. Leaders held themselves and each other accountable, creating a culture of continuous improvement.

The Impact: A Team Transformed

The results were undeniable. The executive team began operating with a level of trust and collaboration that hadn’t existed before. Decisions became faster and more aligned, and the team’s collective effectiveness caught the attention of global leadership.

But the real win? The intervention sparked a lasting cultural shift. Leader onboarding became more intentional, and annual 360-degree feedback became a non-negotiable practice. Over the next three years, we partnered with IIM Bangalore to scale the approach, embedding leadership development and team effectiveness initiatives across the organization.

Why This Matters to You

If you’re a CEO or MD, you know that your top team’s performance directly impacts your organization’s success. The good news? Synergy isn’t a mystery—it’s a system. And it’s one you can build.

In this three-part series, I’ll break down the key steps to transform your leadership team from a group of high performers into a high-performing?team.

Up next:?The 3 Pillars of Building Top Team Synergy

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