Two of our leadership team members have developed a silent cold war where they avoid open conflict but completely bypass each other's departments, which is creating deep silos and slow execution. Since they are not openly arguing, it is hard to address. How do we break this deadlock and force them to collaborate?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Silent conflict is far more destructive than open arguing. When leaders bypass each other, they are practicing artificial harmony, which paralyzes your operations. This behavior signals a deep lack of trust and high self-orientation, which ruins the team dynamic. You must address this passive-aggressive behavior immediately before it poisons the rest of the company.

Start by bringing both leaders into a room for an IDS® session focused entirely on their working relationship. Do not let them focus on tactical operational issues. Focus on the relationship itself. Use the trust equation framework to diagnose the breakdown. Is it a lack of credibility because of missed commitments, or is it a lack of intimacy and safety?

Force them to articulate exactly what they need from each other to succeed. Create clear, reciprocal expectations on the Accountability Chart. Define how their two seats intersect and where they must hand off projects to one another.

Next, tie their individual success to shared outcomes. Make them co-owners of a critical company-wide Rock for the upcoming quarter. If their performance evaluation is directly tied to a shared goal, they will be forced to communicate.

If they refuse to build vulnerability-based trust and continue their silent war, you have a people issue. A leadership team cannot function with silos at the top. You must hold them accountable to your core values. If they cannot resolve the conflict and work together as a unified team, one or both of them must be removed from the leadership team.