When two leadership team members have an intense personal disagreement during an IDS session, how do you facilitate through the conflict without derailing the entire day?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Session days are designed to bring unspoken conflict out of the shadows. When two executives clash during an IDS session, my job is not to play peacemaker or dilute the argument. My job is to strip out personal emotion, define the core operational issue, and force the team to solve it for the greater good of the business.

First, we separate the people from the process. We evaluate the issue through the objective lens of the Accountability Chart and the Core Values. If the dispute is about jurisdictional boundaries, we look at the five major roles defined for those seats. If the dispute stems from a broken workflow, we trace the documented core process.

Second, I force both individuals to state their positions clearly without using passive-aggressive language or historical grievance. Once the real root cause is exposed, we push the entire leadership team to weigh in. Every leader has a voice, but the seat accountable for that operational area owns the ultimate decision.

Conflict only derails a session when leaders refuse to resolve issues or cling to personal ego. By keeping the conversation anchored on what best serves the company, we turn executive friction into clear, decisive action steps that everyone supports before leaving the room.