A company has many parts, and each has its own interests. Each part requires attention. Dysfunctional businesses are pulled in multiple directions by all the people who are trying to build their empires. To lead, you will need to learn to navigate these different interests and bring them together when possible.

Study Corporate Dynamics

The more you understand how the company works, where the parts tie together and how they interact, the better you can marshal the forces necessary to accomplish something. So be a corporate geek. Read organizational charts, dissect the company newsletter and press releases, look through financials and annual reports — in short, consider looking at all the sources to identify corporate goals. Most companies are like jigsaw puzzles, and few people take the time to put the pieces together. When you do, you'll have a better idea of what parts of the company you'd need to involve to get something done.

Develop Relationships

No one likes to be chatted up simply for a favor, and it's an unsatisfactory way to do business. You don't know how the other person works and communicates, which makes smooth cooperation difficult. Develop relationships with key people in other parts of the company in advance. Offer help to them in your area, and ask them to help you better understand what they do. People love to talk about their own occupations, and you gain valuable information in knowing how the company fits together, not in theory but in practice. Then, if the time comes when you need help from a given department for a team goal, you have someone who can help or at least point you in the right direction.

Find the Data

If few people put together the jigsaw that is a corporate entity, only a tiny fraction do the same for data in the company. People tend to assume that whatever they need is available. It probably is — if you know whom to ask. IT departments can be a real help, but there is a lot of important information that resides on desktops and laptops and inside the heads of employees. You might find this a time-consuming activity. Once you're outside of the major information systems, virtually no one knows where everything is. Identify the people who actually get things done. If they are effective, they probably have information as a result of their activities.