Leaders Disagree on Strategy: What to Do?

A Common Problem When Leaders Disagree on Strategy
After significant investments of time and money on strategy retreats, too many companies report failing at strategy execution.  A recent McKinsey survey of 800 companies found that a whopping 77 percent of strategic decisions were made outside of the original strategic plan.  Similarly, executives tell us repeatedly that their finely crafted strategic plans are not being implemented at the quality or speed that they expect.

What’s Causing the Disconnect between Strategic Planning and Strategy Implementation?
Is the strategy not clear enough, not perceived to be equal to the challenge, or not supported by adequate resources to truly succeed?  Surprisingly, sometimes the strategic plan doesn’t have a chance because top leaders disagree on strategy.  Even though their high-level corporate goals may be aligned, the specific strategies and tactics to achieve them are often in conflict.

Six Tips on Moving Forward When Top Leaders Disagree on Strategy
Here are some tips on how to coalesce your leadership team so that everyone is pulling in the same direction:

1. Keep Everyone Focused on the Big Picture
   When disagreements over strategy arise, strip the conversation of emotion to prevent egos and turf battles from clouding judgment or undermining collaboration. Anchor discussions in the broader organizational goals, ensuring everyone keeps their eyes on the ultimate prize.

   Once your leadership team is aligned on the strategic vision, company mission, core values, success metrics, and big strategic bets, alignment cannot stop there. You must also agree on the roadmap to achieve these objectives — and, critically, define how work will be carried out in a way that reflects the organization’s culture. This ensures that strategy is not only planned but executed effectively, with clarity, cohesion, and a shared sense of purpose.

2. Consider the Context
   How you navigate disagreement depends on whether the conflict stems from misaligned strategy, culture, or talent assumptions — and whether it occurs within a formal hierarchy or among peers. Begin by revisiting the key strategic assumptions you made: have they shifted? Identify any adjustments that may be needed to stay aligned with organizational objectives.

   If you are operating within a hierarchy, your role may be to clearly articulate your perspective and then yield to the decision-making authority. Among peers, take a step back for self-reflection: ask why you are committed to a particular approach, consider whether alternative plans could also succeed, and explore opportunities for compromise or creative third options. This reflective approach fosters collaboration while keeping the organization’s goals front and center.

3. Open the Floor
   Invite ideas from others. This is the time to actively involve employees, listen, learn, and weigh the options.  The more key stakeholders feel free to share ideas and participate in the early decision making, the more engaged they will be in the strategy implementation phase.

   The time to agree to disagree is at the beginning, not the middle or the end.

4. Make the Decision
   Smart leaders understand the importance of strategic clarity and know when it’s time to end the discussion stage and drive toward action. Not everyone will be on board with every tactic; but all should be on board with the end goals and major strategic imperatives.

   Do not get lost in analysis paralysis; strive to make decisions, move toward action, and be prepared to learn as soon as it makes sense.

5. Expect Commitment
   Leaders have the right to expect strategic commit from their leadership team as long as key leaders and stakeholders were actively involved from the beginning, and their ideas were valued and incorporated whenever they made sense.

   Explicitly measure commitment levels and do what it takes to align your leadership team.

6. Include a Caveat
   The caveat is that there must be some change agility as you execute the plan. There are always unexpected problems or external changes to which you must adjust.  Gather frequent employee feedback and be ready to collectively course correct as needed.

The Bottom Line
Whenever more than one person is involved, there is bound to be some degree of conflict.  How companies resolve disagreements around strategic planning is a measure of how successful they will be at strategy implementation.  Is your leadership team set up to resolve conflict and move forward as a cohesive team?

To learn more about what to do when leaders disagree on strategy, download 7 Ways to Stress Test Your Strategy to see where you stand