Two competing high-value employees now work together successfully
Evolving from a Competitive to Collaborative Workplace
Situation
A healthcare company had two top performers in different functions—CTO and CMO. They approached work from two very distinct perspectives—analytical vs relationship—and had no appreciation for the other’s viewpoint. In fact, they denigrated each other at every opportunity and set their departments at odds with each other. The CEO enjoyed what he perceived to be their “competition” and encouraged the behavior since he believed that their disagreements provided rigor in thinking.
The tensions escalated until there were departures from both groups every week with the same reason given in their exit interviews. The CEO was forced to acknowledge that the tension between the two leaders was contributing to a toxic environment and resulting in turnover.
The company hired us to help them evaluate whether one or both of the top performers could be retained.
Solution
Both employees were very invested in blaming the other for the turnover and resisted taking responsibility for their actions. As top performers their behavior had never had consequences and they approached the coaching engagement as though it was merely an exercise.
Each employee was called in to a meeting individually with the CEO and the coach and the objective of the coaching engagement was laid out as a way of getting the employees to understand the seriousness of the situation. Then the coach held an intervention with the two.
It quickly became apparent that the two employees actually had a lot in common personally and those similarities were emphasized as a way of humanizing each to the other. Both had long-term projects they were invested in personally that they wanted to see to fruition. This provided the leverage point.
To dimensionalize the impact of their behavior on others verbatims from their respective teams were provided as were transcripts of exit interviews. Gradually the two came to understand that what they saw as the other person’s problem was actually both of their problems and that they had created much of the toxicity in their environment—and that they themselves had been impacted negatively.
The two agreed to work as partners to establish a better tone among their two departments. They held a joint meeting of the two groups and apologized for their behavior. They laid out how things would be different and what would be tolerated and what was definitely not appropriate. They gave their teams permission to call them on their own behavior…and set up a “kitty” where they put in $10 for every time they—or anyone in the group--acted inappropriately.
The teams were distrustful at first—few were willing to take the step of calling their managers on their behavior. However, the CEO modeled this new contract as did other senior staffers who interacted with the two… it became a game to see who could “catch” their boss—and the humorous tone did much on its own to diffuse the tension between the groups.
Result
The two employees are able to collaborate and work together productively. They are not ever going to be ideal partners but they have found a way that they can treat each other with respect and support the work of each person’s department.
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