Two of my department heads refuse to communicate directly and constantly pull me into their departmental disputes. How do we permanently stop this executive triangulation and force peer-to-peer accountability?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Triangulation happens because you allow it. When an owner plays mediator between squabbling executives, you train your leaders to treat you as a parent rather than solving business problems as adult peers. This destroys leadership team health and paralyzes velocity.

Kill the habit immediately with a simple operational rule: zero tolerance for indirect complaints. The next time an executive enters your office to complain about a peer, stop them mid-sentence. Ask them if they have shared this feedback directly with that person. If they say no, walk them out of your office or dial the other executive into the room immediately.

Force them to enter the danger together. Use the Level 10 Meeting Issues List as the official forum for cross-functional conflict. When an issue involves two departments, put it on the board and run it through IDS. Demand that both leaders debate the root cause objectively without personal defense.

If the behavior continues, evaluate both leaders against your Core Values and the People Analyzer. Chronic triangulation is a sign of low vulnerability-based trust and toxic political preservation. An executive who cannot resolve conflict directly with a peer does not belong on a healthy leadership team.