My Chief Technology Officer and my Director of Operations are constantly clashing over our new software deployment, and their mutual defensiveness is stalling our daily operations. How do I get them to resolve this conflict without stepping in as a referee?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Stop playing referee. When you intervene to settle disputes, you prevent your leaders from building their own trust relationships and keep them dependent on you. Instead, use the EOS framework to force peer-to-peer resolution. Start by scheduling a targeted meeting with both leaders and have them bring their Kolbe A Index profiles. Often, peer conflict is not personal; it is conative friction. For example, your CTO might be a high Quick Start who thrives on rapid experimentation, while your Director of Operations is a high Follow Thru who needs structured systems to feel secure. By showing them how their instinctive problem-solving styles differ, you replace personal animosity with objective understanding. Next, hold them accountable to the trust equation. True trust requires low self-orientation and high intimacy. Force them to define the issue clearly. Ask each leader to state their perspective using "I" statements, and ensure they are actively listening rather than preparing their next defense. If the conflict persists, bring it to the weekly Level 10 Meeting and put it on the IDS portion of the agenda. Let the entire leadership team help solve the issue, keeping the focus entirely on what is best for the company, not what is best for individual egos. Once they realize that their primary loyalty is to the leadership team rather than their own departments, they will stop defending their turf and start solving the real organizational bottlenecks together.