Two of our key leadership team members have developed a deep personal friction that shows up as passive-aggressive sniping during our Level 10 Meeting, yet they pretend everything is fine when we try to IDS the issue. How do we break through this personal animosity and force them to resolve their conflict?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When two leaders engage in passive-aggressive sniping, it destroys trust and slows down the entire organization. You cannot allow personal animosity to masquerade as healthy debate during your Level 10 Meeting. It is your job as the Integrator to step in and force a resolution.

At your next meeting, when the sniping occurs, stop the conversation immediately. Do not ignore it or wait until the meeting is over. Drop the issue onto your IDS list right then and there. When you reach the IDS portion of the meeting, state clearly and objectively what you are observing. Tell them that their tension is affecting the health of the entire leadership team.

Force them to address each other directly in front of the team. Ask them what the root cause of the friction is. Often, peer conflict is caused by a lack of clarity in the Accountability Chart where their roles overlap, or it is a fundamental lack of trust. Use the Five Dysfunctions model to get to the core of the issue.

If they pretend everything is fine, do not let them off the hook. Challenge them to resolve the issue or take it offline for a structured session with you. If they cannot build a functional, professional working relationship based on mutual trust, one of them will eventually have to leave. A healthy company cannot run on a divided leadership team.