Two of my key directors are constantly bypassing each other and bringing small operational disagreements directly to me to mediate. How do I force peer-to-peer resolution on the leadership team so I can stop acting as the corporate referee?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When leaders run to you to solve their peer disputes, they are avoiding the hard work of building a functional team. By stepping in and making the decision, you are rewarding their behavior and weakening peer-to-peer accountability. The next time a leader brings a complaint about a peer to you, stop them immediately. Ask if they have discussed the issue directly with their peer using the IDS® framework. If they have not, refuse to hear the complaint and send them back to talk to each other. Foster healthy relationships within the leadership team by forcing them to deal with conflict directly. If they try to resolve it and reach an impasse, they should bring it to the weekly Level 10 Meeting™, not your private office. In that meeting, the issue is solved by the team as a whole, not by you acting as the sole arbiter. This builds a healthy, cohesive, and functional leadership team that operates as a unit rather than a collection of silos.