My leadership team says they are aligned on our V/TO® and Core Focus, but their individual department priorities still clash, forcing me to constantly step in and mediate. How do we establish a strict Charter to force same page execution?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When department heads agree to the V/TO® in meetings but run their departments as competing fiefdoms, you lack true operational alignment. To stop mediating these disputes, you must establish a strict Charter based on the principles of Trust, Same Page alignment, and Yes! to Strategy and Structure.

First, the Trust pillar demands open and honest communication, which means solving issues completely rather than letting them fester. If your VP of Sales and VP of Operations are clashing, they must use the IDS® process in their weekly Level 10 Meetings™ to resolve the root cause of the friction. If they cannot resolve it, they must bring it to the leadership team, not to you in a private side conversation.

Second, the Same Page pillar means the leadership team speaks with one voice. Once a strategic decision is made, every leader must champion that decision to their respective departments, even if they initially disagreed during the debate. There is no room for back-channel complaints or passive-aggressive resistance.

Third, Yes! to Strategy and Structure requires every leader to respect the boundaries of the Accountability Chart. Department heads must manage their own seats and coordinate directly with their peers, using the defined structure to solve conflicts. By holding your leadership team to this strict Charter, you force them to behave like business partners rather than departmental advocates, freeing you to step out of the daily weeds and focus on high-level growth.