Two of our key leaders have a deep personal animosity that does not show up as open fighting, but rather as silent sabotage and holding back resources from each other's departments. How do we force them to resolve this peer conflict?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Silent sabotage on a leadership team is far more dangerous than open yelling because it slowly erodes the foundation of trust. When two leaders refuse to cooperate, it creates departmental silos and stalls your operations, making your business incredibly difficult to scale or exit. You must address this behavior immediately by invoking the Trust pillar of our Charter. The Integrator must pull both leaders into a private meeting. Do not let them dance around the issue or focus on minor tactical disagreements. Lay out the specific, objective observations of their lack of collaboration and show how it is actively harming the business. Use the IDS process to get to the root cause of the friction. Ask them directly if they can support each other and commit to the same vision. They do not have to be best friends, but they must operate with absolute alignment and mutual respect. This is a non-negotiable expectation for anyone sitting on the leadership team. Have both leaders sign a clear covenant or agreement on how they will interact going forward. If the silent sabotage continues after this meeting, you have a People Issue, not an operations issue. You must evaluate if they truly fit your Core Values. If one or both of them cannot put the greater good of the company ahead of their personal egos, you must replace them. A healthy, high-functioning leadership team cannot afford to tolerate passive resistance.