Last week, I talked about the subtle ways that high-performing teams and organizations still feel fragmented.
Perhaps you can relate. Work is getting done. Everyone is busy. Meetings are polite. People nod and agree. And then we all go back to our own work.
Yet it doesn’t quite feel like we’re moving forward together toward the same goal.
Of course, sometimes this is more overt, with obvious friction, which is actually easier, because it’s staring you in the face. More often, fragmentation is subtle, beneath the surface.
I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about fragmentation and what causes it. Usually, it comes down to one thing: guardedness. People start protecting and withholding what others need from them.
They withhold:
- Information the rest of the team needs
- Presence when the team is under fire
- Responsibility when others are ready to step up
- Honest truth that would help the team succeed
- Grace when someone lets them down
- Encouragement and credit when others deserve it
It’s not a flaw. Guardedness is a very human response to the pressure and change that most teams and organizations are experiencing these days.
We’re just protecting our sense of competence, credibility, and control. We want to feel safe.
The problem, of course, is that this builds up invisible walls on the team. Often, we’re not intentionally building up walls, but it’s the natural result of people on the team becoming more guarded.
While I’ll share the broader solution next week, here’s a simple way to start loosening guardedness on a team.
Try this question at the beginning of your next leadership meeting:
What’s one thing that’s taking more energy than expected right now?
Go around the table.
One sentence each, without discussion or fixing.
The “no-fixing” rule is key. It lets people speak without feeling like they’ve just handed someone a problem to solve.
People might mention a project concern, pressure they’re under, a staffing challenge, or even something outside of work that is affecting their focus.
When people feel guarded, they protect what they have.
The goal isn’t to solve anything in that moment. It’s simply to create a small moment of openness.
Guarded teams protect what they’re carrying. Healthy teams begin to share it.
Fragmentation rarely disappears because of one big conversation.
It changes when teams experience small moments where people feel safe enough to lower the walls a little.
Later, I’ll share a simple framework I’ve been using with leadership teams to help them consistently pass what their colleagues need.
