By Zack Devin
For nearly 30 years, Jack Truong has observed how organizational silos can undermine company performance. According to Truong, whose leadership has transformed multiple corporations, breaking down these barriers through effective communication is essential to building a culture of success.
“Siloed workplaces may be the biggest detriment to building a culture of success,” Jack Truong remarked. “They are inefficient, deter collaboration, and prevent the company from understanding and then responding quickly to market changes and shifts in demand.”
The Problem with Organizational Silos
Throughout his career at companies like 3M, Electrolux, and James Hardie, Truong has seen how divisional rivalries create an “us versus them” mentality that undermines collective progress. When departments compete against each other rather than working toward common goals, even brilliant strategies fail in execution.
“A strong corporate culture is at the heart of every business success story,” Truong shared. “But achieving such a culture is often more challenging than the business results that follow.”
Communication as the Solution
For Jack Truong, the remedy lies in establishing robust communication channels across all levels of the organization. He advocates for an approach he calls “the foreman and Norman,” which creates an open forum for dialogue throughout the organizational hierarchy.
“As a CEO, you have got to make sure that you directly communicate with the leaders of each one of these critical functions and ensure they come together in saying: ‘This is our strategy, and this is how we are connected and how we are going to execute it together,'” explains Truong.
Balancing Input with Decision-Making
The veteran executive emphasizes that effective communication involves both soliciting input and making clear decisions. Rather than diminishing leadership authority, this inclusive approach strengthens organizational focus.
“You want to create the environment at the beginning where all people voice their opinions and voice their questions, concerns, and then so that you get everything out,” Truong advises. “You’ve got to allow people to have the opportunity to voice their concerns, their opinions. But then at the end of that period, the CEO has to make the final decision.”
This balance prevents the hesitancy that often plagues corporate decision-making. “There’s a lot of leaders out there that are afraid to make those tough decisions, and when they’re not making tough decisions, then they delay, delay, and that’s when business falter, and that’s when you create chaos and dissatisfaction among the employees, because they have no clear direction.”
Consensus Drives Results
For Jack Truong, whose leadership approach has gained significant attention, building consensus is the essential foundation of a healthy, productive workplace. Without shared understanding and alignment, execution suffers.
“Having led several businesses in publicly traded companies over the past 20 years, I’ve seen and experienced firsthand the long-term impact of corporate culture on company performance,” Truong shared.
By prioritizing open communication and eliminating silos, Jack Truong has established a blueprint for creating organizational cultures where information flows freely and common purpose drives extraordinary results.
