Games that ‘C-suite’ leaders play

Egos. Silos. Conflicts. These three words are the most oft-repeated in companies. The head of marketing and finance are head on head. The purchasing head is having a snarling match with the manufacturing head.

The Finance people are sick of the Audit department’s constant interference. The Sales people are at loggerhead with HR’s compensation policies. This is commonplace. This is a story most told. If it is frequent, is it normal? That is the danger.

When you feel this is how it is going to be, that very feeling is the real danger. Conflicts at top are conflicts all the way down. The senior leaders signal the culture in the organization. If they are not able to project a picture of harmony with other departments the employees in turn will become embroiled in day-to-day clashes. These clashes take away the focus on the real goals and are productivity and profitability drainers.

‘C-suite’ leadership has power and with power comes politics. Some politics is natural, too much of it will make the company dysfunctional. In a team of ten to twelve-member leadership team, you will find the dynamics of lobbies and behind-the-scene alliances.

They join forces to push their own agendas and in meetings their invisible partners support them through deft postures that tilt decisions in their favour. Then of course there will be some smart PR wizards who with targeted reputation management through social media create influence and power. Holding on information, letting disinformation flourish, being neutral even when they know the company may suffer through a bad decision is typical of the powerplay at the top executive suite.

A senior team that is together in meetings but totally apart post meetings is very costly. Facts and figures paint a devastating picture. The Workplace Peace Institute’s 2024 survey shows that 359 billion dollars is lost annually due to workplace conflicts. Employees spend 2.8 hours per week resolving disputes. Managers dedicate 20-40 percent of their time to handling conflicts. 49 percent of workplace disputes arise from personality clashes and egos. Lack of trust is the most commonly reported trigger for conflict issues.

The higher you go the more the power conflicts are costly. The big guys create their own fiefdoms and influence. The Marketing head feels he is the star of the show. The Finance head feels he should be the all in all. The Production head wants to be one to take the final call. According to a Briggs Myers report, half the clashes are due to egos and personality clashes. This is the time for the top leader to step in and control the situation from becoming counterproductive. This is a tricky handle. All of these people are senior and just one step away from the ultimate rise. They all have to be treated carefully. Some immediate steps to be taken are:

1. Take immediate notice— The leader has to be a watchkeeper. In meetings he has to notice the flow of the conversations. Are people focused on the company goals or the department goals? Are people focused on proving themselves right or doing the right thing? Are the disagreements on the right priorities or on personal priorities? All these are signals to watch out. All these need to be aligned to how smooth the decision-making process is. All these need to be aligned with how good the execution is. If the results are coming sustainably then the issues may be minor but if these differences have turned into crises and delays it is time to step in and control the situation before it is late.

2. Have a meeting with them on just these issues— ‘C-suite’ meetings are frequent but mostly on business. Very few meetings are on how to understand each other and develop synergies. When the egos become active the CEOs become active. Call in a meeting of people who are finding it difficult to give up their territorial thinking. Be open to them. Frame the problem. Then listen. Listen to both. Look for cues. Look for body language of the people involved. An agile CEO will be able to know the trouble spots. If it is one toxic guy staining the team culture, have a separate one-to-one with him or her. If the personality clash is on both sides, first make them sit together and then separately with the leader.

3. Develop a regular one to one peer connect— Once it has been identified who those high ego senior heads are, a system based on the trigger points needs to be designed for them to resolve their issues. Before the leadership team meeting, these people need to meet to have a talk of what they feel may cause a clash in the meeting. This should be a ‘must do’ pre-meeting peer connect. In the meeting it should be observed whether the pre connect had solved the problem or it was just a forced encounter. Similarly, the execution of the minutes of the meeting is another test of whether the meeting was just a false impression of things being ok or the change had really produced actual results.

4. Connect ‘C-suite’ cohesiveness with leadership ladder— Behavioural change happens when self-interest is tied up with organizational change. The unfortunate part of life is that as you go up, personal glory becomes more important. Senior leaders in their self-perception of grandiosity want to be the one and all. That is why their growth should be tied with not just their departmental performance but their cross-functional support and collaboration. The weightage to this factor should be high enough to make their rise to the top dependent on it.

5. Coach and peer mentor— The ‘C-suite’ players who are not contributing to the cross-functional synergy need to be also provided independent coaching from an expert consultant or coach. Another important way of making leaders accountable is by choosing peers who are good at collaborating and pair them with those who are not. They will act as peer mentors and become bridge makers at the same time.

Senior leadership dynamics are akin to a match of chess. Just like chess you plan your moves hiding them from the opponent. You anticipate the opponent’s counter move. The beauty of the game is that while you are trying to outthink your opponents, so is he or she. From the chess board to the boardroom, senior leaders try to play checkmate with their competing mates.

This creates a win-lose culture that develops fragmented cultures. Managing these “wannabe” leaders’ egos and creating synergies to produce a cohesive culture then constitute the true test of a top leader.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025