Most leaders assume they have a people problem when two leaders aren't getting along.
We’ve all either witnessed it or been a part of it. Meetings are tense. Emails have an unpleasant edge. Getting the right information is like pulling teeth. Things take much longer than they should.
The instinct is often to hope they'll figure it out on their own.
In my experience, they usually won't.
With nearly every team alignment project I've worked on, there has been at least one pair of cross-functional leaders who struggle to work together. Often, they've been stuck in the same pattern for years.
One leader, let's call her Jane, shared with me that she can now see how she got off on the wrong foot when she joined the organization. She was eager, saw opportunities for improvement, and wanted to make an impact quickly. Her intentions were good, but her delivery was sharp. She was insensitive to the folks that built the systems she wanted to improve.
Larry, on the other hand, had been with the company for 15 years. He had built processes that worked and wasn't particularly interested in hearing how they should be changed.
Five years later, Jane and Larry still avoid each other whenever possible.
Sometimes conflict is loud. But people often try very hard to avoid conflict. More often, conflict is quiet.
Leaders stop communicating directly. They copy everyone on emails. They vent to peers. They recruit other leaders to take their side. They avoid one another and ask their teams to work around the relationship.
On the surface, everything appears fine. Underneath, the organization is paying the price.
The cost of conflict isn't just frustration. It's lost time, energy, focus, and momentum. Projects move slower because information isn't shared. Decisions take longer because leaders seek validation instead of resolution. Teams get pulled into issues that don't belong to them. Leaders spend time refereeing disagreements instead of moving the business forward.
Projects get assigned based on personalities instead of capabilities. Communication becomes more complicated than it needs to be. Workarounds replace collaboration.
But before you assume you have a people problem, consider another possibility.
You may have a structure problem.
Many leadership conflicts emerge because expectations, roles, and decision-making authority are unclear.
->When people don't know who owns a decision, conflict follows.
->When priorities aren't clear, conflict follows.
->When communication channels aren't defined, conflict follows.
->When accountability is ambiguous, conflict follows.
The conflict is the symptom. The cause? Lack of clarity.
Before sitting two leaders down and telling them to "work it out," ask yourself:
I was reminded of this recently while learning how to play Catan with my adult children.
Before we started, they explained the rules, how decisions worked, what success looked like, and a few unwritten norms that experienced players knew. I wasn't particularly good at the game, but I understood how it worked.
Most teams don't get that level of clarity. We assume people know how to work together. But how can they? When the rules aren’t explicit, they’ll define their own.
Yes, leaders need the skills to navigate difficult conversations, address tension directly, and resolve disagreements productively.
When expectations, ownership, priorities, and decision rights are clear, many conflicts disappear on their own. The conversations become easier because people are no longer fighting over ambiguity.
If conflict keeps showing up on your leadership team, don't just look at the people involved.
Look at the system they're operating within. You may discover the real opportunity isn't resolving the conflict.
It's creating the clarity that prevents it.
When you've experienced conflict between two leaders, was it ultimately a people issue or a clarity issue? I'd love to hear what you've seen.
Tara Whitney, CPA, ACC, is an executive coach and founder of White Birch Advisory. Message her or schedule time to discuss your goals and challenges.
This article is provided as a complimentary resource by Tara Whitney. Statements of fact and opinion are the author’s responsibility alone and do not imply an opinion on the part of CPA Crossings officers or members. The information contained herein does not constitute accounting, legal, or professional advice. For actionable advice, you must engage or consult with a qualified professional.