It’s been said leadership is lonely, but in reality, leaders are more often than not part of a leadership team that must function like a well-oiled machine.
And like a machine, if any single part malfunctions, the domino effect takes everything down. Conflict within leadership teams can happen for a variety of reasons, but it is often the result of personality clashes. In my years of working as an executive coach and psychologist, I have had many requests from clients to intervene and alleviate conflict within leadership teams. What I have found is that these conflicts tend happen — particularly in family-owned businesses — when a new person is brought in from outside of the company or family to assume a leadership position.