Our leadership team is professional on the surface, but two of our key directors have a ten-year history of personal rivalry from before we implemented EOS. It shows up as passive-aggressive resistance during IDS and is stalling our execution. How do we put an end to this legacy personal baggage once and for all?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When personal rivalries stall your leadership team, you have an Accountability Chart problem disguised as a personality conflict. Polite avoidance is costing you money. The first step is to address the issue head-on outside of your regular meetings. Sit down with both leaders and your Integrator. Make it clear that their history is actively damaging the health of the entire organization.

You must separate the people from the seats. Use the Core Values Assessment and the GWC tool to evaluate both individuals objectively. Are they living your core values, and do they truly get, want, and have the capacity to do their jobs? If they do, then their inability to collaborate constructively is a direct violation of team health.

During your next Level 10 Meeting, any passive-aggressive behavior must be called out immediately by the Integrator. Put it on the IDS portion of the agenda as a team health issue. Force them to state their underlying issues clearly and work toward a resolution in front of their peers.

If they cannot commit to a professional working relationship that allows for healthy, unfiltered conflict, then one or both of them must leave the company. Cracks at the leadership level appear as canyons to the rest of your employees. You cannot scale a business or prepare for a clean exit with a fractured foundation. Make the tough call.