I just got off a call with the CEO of a $75B global company who said what we’re hearing everywhere right now: collaboration isn’t optional anymore—it’s essential. In 2025, the world is too complex, too interconnected, and moving too fast for rigid job descriptions and departmental walls. Silos used to slow us down. Now, they can take us out.
Look at tariffs. What once lived in public affairs now hits every function—finance, operations, pricing, trade compliance, and more. The same goes for DEI. Once parked in HR, it now touches legal, brand, marketing, communications, and executive leadership. The solution isn’t handing out more boxes—it’s integrating across them. That takes new muscles: cross-functional trust, shared accountability, and leaders willing to let go of territorial thinking.
I shared this on Schwab Network, too. Confidence in business isn’t about waiting for stable markets—it’s about creating clarity in chaos. Top performers own results, even in uncertainty. They don’t wait for alignment. They lead it.
Meanwhile, Jamie Dimon is doubling down on control, insisting on five-day office mandates. But here’s the truth: Dimon can get away with it because people will still apply to JPMorgan. Most companies aren’t in that position. They need collaboration, not control. They need to lead with results, not rules.
And in this week’s Culture Leaders episode, I spoke with Doug Merritt, CEO of Aviatrix, who reframed leadership altogether. His take? Success isn’t outcomes—it’s effort, learning, and evolution. The biggest risk to any business today isn’t failure. It’s refusing to adapt. If that’s true—and I believe it is—then siloed thinking isn’t just outdated. It’s dangerous.
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