How do you ensure alignment when you have two senior executive stakeholders who disagree with each other on the proposed strategy and you are stuck in the middle?

"When two senior executives disagree, I remind myself that Ops isn’t here to play referee with yellow cards. We’re more like the scoreboard operator- our job is to show the score, the time left, and the rules of the game so the players can decide how to win.” How disagreements show up:This can look like two execs championing very different strategies - one pushing for aggressive growth investments, another pushing for tighter cost controls. Or it could be functional conflicts, like Sales wanting ...Read More

When you're facing this unenviable position, I recommend adopting these best practices: Ensure both execs' strategy is trying to solve the same problem statement Help the execs review how well their strategy aligns against a company and customer first principle Ensure there is a holistic evaluation of the pros and cons of each strategy Flesh out what needs to be true from a time, money and people requirement for each strategy, as well as what are the risks Align on problem statement - this might ...Read More

Firstly, it's important to know what your role is in such situations. Typically, in such situations, your role is to facilitate the alignment process, maintain a neutral stance, and act in the best interests of the organization. By creating an envirionment which encourages open communication, seeking common ground, and using data-driven recommendations, you can help two senior executives work together to reach a consensus on the proposed strategy. Understand their point of view: First, make sure ...Read More

When two senior execs are at odds, focus on the common goal. Just try to make it factual, so you present data or insights that address their differing viewpoints, and propose a compromise or pilot solution if needed.IMPORTANT: Avoid taking sides; instead, act as a neutral facilitator, as these are your primary stakeholders and you can't afford to burn any of those bridges, so again try to keep the discussion factual.Summarize the discussion, agreements, and next steps in writing, and confirm tha ...Read More