My marketing and sales leaders are constantly blaming each other for lead quality and closing rates, but they pretend everything is fine when I am in the room. How do we resolve this specific finger-pointing and align them on shared outcomes without me playing referee?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This finger-pointing is a classic symptom of siloed departments and a lack of vulnerability-based trust. When your sales and marketing leaders put on a polite front in your presence but grumble behind the scenes, they are creating a rift. Remember that cracks at the leadership level appear as canyons to the rest of the organization. You must stop playing the referee and force them to solve this peer conflict directly using EOS tools.

Start by looking at your Accountability Chart. Ensure their roles and measurables are crystal clear. Often, marketing is measured solely on lead volume while sales is measured on revenue, creating a natural conflict. You need to align their metrics on the weekly Scorecard.

Next, force the issue into the open during your Level 10 Meeting™. Put the conflict on the IDS® list as a single issue. Do not let them discuss it in private side-conversations. During the session, push them to identify the root cause. If the issue is lead quality, they must mutually agree on what a qualified lead actually is.

Use the GWC™ tool to ensure both leaders have the capacity to manage their seats. If they both want, get, and have the capacity to do their jobs, they must be held accountable for collaborating. If they cannot resolve this peer conflict constructively after multiple IDS® sessions, you have a People Analyzer™ issue that you must address immediately to protect your company culture.