My Head of Sales and Head of Operations are in a constant state of passive-aggressive friction, which is starting to split our middle management into opposing camps. How do we stop this peer conflict from destroying our operational execution?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Peer conflict at the leadership level is a disease that quickly metastasizes throughout the entire organization. When two key leaders are at war, their direct reports will inevitably mimic that behavior, creating siloed departments that refuse to collaborate.

To resolve this, you must bring both leaders into a room and use the IDS process. The root cause is rarely a personal hatred; it is almost always structural misalignment on the Accountability Chart or a lack of shared trust. Start by reviewing their roles on the Accountability Chart. Are their responsibilities overlapping, or are their performance metrics causing competing incentives? For example, is sales incentivized to close any deal, while operations is penalized for delivery bottlenecks?

If the structure is sound, the issue is trust. Use the framework from the trust equation to diagnose the friction. Often, peer conflict is driven by low intimacy and high self-orientation. They are protecting their reputations instead of focusing on what is best for the business.

Force them to address the issue directly by stating the conflict as an issue on your Level 10 Meeting agenda. They must agree on a solution that serves the greater good of the company, even if it requires one of them to compromise. If the passive-aggressive behavior continues after a clear resolution is reached, you are dealing with a core values alignment issue, and you must make a people move.