Have you ever noticed how quickly “we” becomes “they” at work?
“They didn’t get us what we needed.”
“They are holding us up.”
“They don’t understand what we’re dealing with.”
“They keep changing things.”
The funny thing is, most organizations are working toward the exact same goal.
Yet somewhere along the way, departments stop acting like teammates and start acting like neighboring countries negotiating trade agreements.
And everyone is convinced they’re the ones doing the real work.
The reality?
Nobody wins alone.
In fact, some of the biggest leadership breakthroughs I’ve witnessed had nothing to do with strategy, systems, or process improvements.
They happened when people simply started working better together.
Let’s Simplify It
Organizations may be structured in departments, but success rarely happens inside one.
Think about your role.
Who hands work to you?
Who do you hand work to?
Those relationships matter more than most people realize.
In homebuilding, sales is often the most visible department. We get the customer. We get the contract. We get the celebration.
But….
We can’t sell a home until:
- Land finds and secures the opportunity.
- Development gets the community ready.
- Purchasing prices it and secures vendors.
- Finance helps establish pricing and profitability.
Only then can we sell.
And after we sell?
Construction builds it. Mortgage gets financing in place. Closing gets it across the finish line.
Then we do it all over again.
Sales isn’t the hero.
Construction isn’t the hero.
Finance isn’t the hero.
There is no hero.
The team is the hero.
The customer experiences the entire relay race, not just the runner holding the baton at any given moment.
Five Ways to Build Better Interdepartmental Relationships
1. Get to Know Each Other
Take time to slow down before you speed up.
It’s amazing how much easier it is to solve problems with someone when you’ve invested time getting to know them as a human first.
Learn about:
- their role
- their challenges
- their family
- their goals
Relationships create trust.
Trust creates speed.
2. Understand Their Goals
One of my favorite leadership principles comes from Stephen Covey:
Seek first to understand, then to be understood.
Most workplace conflict isn’t caused by bad intentions.
It’s caused by competing priorities.
Take time to understand:
- what success looks like for them
- what pressures they’re under
- what they’re measured on
When you understand their goals, collaboration becomes much easier.
3. Support and Compromise
Or as my mom would say:
Play nice in the sandbox.
Not every decision will be exactly what you want.
Not every request should be prioritized over everyone else’s.
Strong partnerships require compromise.
Sometimes helping another department win ultimately helps everyone win.
Especially you.
4. Show Gratitude
This one is wildly underrated.
When another department helps you, tell them.
When someone goes above and beyond, acknowledge it.
When a team delivers something difficult, thank them.
People are far more willing to support those who make them feel appreciated.
Gratitude costs nothing.
But it creates tremendous goodwill.
5. Don’t Be a D-Word
I debated how professionally to write this.
Then I decided honesty is the best policy.
Don’t be a d***.
Ego makes people weird.
Titles make people weird.
Pressure makes people weird.
But none of those things are excuses for treating people poorly.
Kindness is free.
Respect is free.
Being a decent human being is free.
And surprisingly, it’s also one of the most effective leadership strategies you’ll ever find.
One Final Thought
The strongest teams I’ve ever worked with weren’t always the ones with the smartest people.
They were the ones where people genuinely wanted each other to succeed.
Where departments picked up the phone instead of firing off frustrated emails.
Where people assumed positive intent.
Where relationships mattered as much as results.
Because at the end of the day, winning is a team sport.
And the best teams don’t just work together.
They root for each other.
Let’s lead with more clarity and less noise.
— Abby
About the Author
Abby Cornelius is a leadership advisor, and lifelong student of personal growth. Over the past 20+ years, she’s led teams, coached leaders, built processes, improved performance, and learned that most leadership problems aren’t people problems—they’re clarity problems.
Through Leadership, Edited., Abby shares practical leadership insights, real-world lessons, and frameworks designed to help leaders create stronger teams, make better decisions, and spend less time firefighting.
When she’s not leading sales teams or writing about leadership, you’ll likely find her reading a book, sipping coffee, testing a new idea, or cheering on the people around her, because winning has always been more fun as a team sport.
