How to leverage the chain of command to reduce conflict

“She just exploded at me, and then I was the one who got reprimanded by the CEO!”

That’s what a client told me about an experience he had with a peer recently.

My client, who is in a senior staff role, has a responsibility to keep the company out of trouble when it comes to reporting requirements, international agreements, conflicts of interest, and so on. In other words, his success is critical to the success of the company.

My client’s peer wasn’t getting her critical paperwork done, and things just came to a head.

The chances of this kind of stuff happening drop precipitously if we get better at understanding the chain of command. This poll shows just how the chain of command gets short shrift in our companies. As of this writing, only 21 percent of respondents use the chain of command correctly.

Here are some ways to reduce the chance of similar incidents - from the CEO perspective and the peer perspective - by leveraging the strength of the chain of command:

Read the rest at The Business Journals