Our head of sales and head of operations are engaged in constant passive-aggressive finger-pointing over delivery delays, forcing me to referee every dispute. How do we resolve peer conflict on the leadership team permanently without letting it derail execution?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Stop refereeing. When an owner steps into peer conflict as an arbiter, you reward triangulation and ensure the conflict continues. Cracks at the leadership level become canyons to the rest of the company, and this feud is already splitting your frontline teams into warring factions.

To kill the dynamic, shift accountability immediately to the Accountability Chart and your weekly Level 10 Meeting™.

First, verify seat definitions. Conflict between sales and operations usually stems from vague handoff agreements. Bring the exact breakdown onto the IDS® portion of your agenda. Do not allow general accusations. Demand specific data, broken processes, or missed customer commitments.

Second, mandate direct resolution. When one executive comes to you to complain about the other, use a simple protocol: ask them if they have shared this directly with their peer. If not, end the conversation on the spot and instruct them to take it to the person. If they cannot resolve it 1:1 within 48 hours, they must bring it together to the Integrator during IDS®.

Third, evaluate GWC™ and Core Values. Healthy conflict focuses strictly on ideas, systems, and outcomes. If the friction is ideological and focused on serving the customer, IDS® will solve it. But if the friction is driven by ego, territorial defensiveness, or lack of humility, you are dealing with a Core Values violation.

Make it clear to both leaders that enterprise health outweighs individual talent. If they refuse to collaborate as functional peers, one or both will lose their seat.