Two of my key leaders have a deep-seated personality clash that makes collaborative work impossible, resulting in constant friction. How do we resolve personal clashes that are masquerading as business issues?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When two key leadership team members have a deep-seated personality clash, it stalls execution and forces everyone else to walk on eggshells. They will often present their disputes as business issues, arguing over processes, timelines, or resources, when the real issue is personal dislike or a lack of trust.

You cannot ignore this friction. It slows down your organization and drags down the speed of trust. To resolve this, you must force them to address the underlying relationship rather than the operational symptoms. Use the IDS® process to get to the root cause of the friction.

Bring both leaders into a private room. Point out that their behavior is hurting the business and that they must find a way to work together cohesively. Ask them to be vulnerable and state exactly what they need from each other to make the relationship functional.

Take these concrete steps to resolve the clash:
- Schedule a dedicated three-person alignment meeting with both leaders.
- Have each leader list three things the other does that make their job harder, and three things that make it easier.
- Establish clear behavioral ground rules for their interactions in Level 10 Meetings™.
- Hold them mutually accountable to these rules, treating any passive-aggressive behavior as a core values violation.

If they cannot build a functional working relationship, one of them will ultimately have to leave the team.