Two of my top leaders on the leadership team are constantly clashing over resources and department borders. This peer conflict is forcing me to play referee, and I can see their teams starting to take sides. How do we resolve this peer-level friction before it destroys our alignment?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When your leadership team is fighting over resources, the friction does not stay behind closed doors. Cracks at this level appear as canyons to the rest of the organization. If your department heads are battling over budget, headcount, or territory, it means they are viewing the company through the lens of their individual silo rather than the collective good of the enterprise.

To resolve this peer-level friction, you must first reorient their focus to the greater good. Every member of your leadership team must understand that they wear their leadership hat first and their departmental hat second. Their primary loyalty must be to the leadership team and the overall health of the business.

To fix the resource battle, bring the conflict directly into your next Level 10 Meeting™ and use the IDS® process. Do not play referee in private one-on-one sessions, as this only encourages backchannel lobbying. Lay the resource constraints on the table. Force the two clashing leaders to look at the business through the lens of your V/TO® and your current corporate Rocks. Ask them which allocation of resources gets the company closer to its overall quarterly and annual goals. When you ground resource decisions in the objective numbers on your Scorecard and your strategic plan, the emotional bickering evaporates. If they still cannot agree, your Integrator must make the final, binding decision. The team must then leave the room fully aligned, presenting a united front to the rest of the organization.