Our leadership team is great at solving department-level issues, but when an issue spans multiple departments, everyone points fingers and expects me to step in. How do we force peer-to-peer accountability across our leadership seats?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When leadership team members point fingers, it is usually because your Accountability Chart is unclear or because they lack the trust needed to hold each other accountable. As the leader, when you step in to solve these cross-functional issues, you inadvertently reward their bad behavior and keep them dependent on you.

To force peer-to-peer accountability, you must stop playing referee. The next time a cross-functional issue arises, refuse to solve it yourself. Instead, direct the leaders involved to handle it during their weekly Level 10 Meeting™ using the IDS® process.

If the issue persists, review your Accountability Chart. Often, cross-functional finger-pointing happens because a critical process has no single owner. Ensure that every major workflow is mapped to a specific seat on the chart. If an issue spans multiple departments, there must still be one leader who is ultimately accountable for the outcome.

Finally, work on building a healthy, cohesive, and functional team culture. When leaders trust each other, they are more willing to have honest, vulnerable conversations about where processes are breaking down. By holding them accountable to solving their own peer conflicts, you build a self-sustaining leadership team that can run the company without your constant intervention.