Guide · Conflict
In briefConflicts in a leadership duo often feel personal but are usually unresolved structural questions: a missing final decision, overlapping roles, unequal visibility. Those who clarify the underlying structure solve the conflict at the root – not the symptom.
Five typical patterns
- The unresolved final decision. Every disagreement becomes a power question.
- The creeping role overlap. Both do everything, no one owns anything.
- The silent withdrawal. Instead of conflict there’s coexistence and inner resignation.
- The unequal visibility. One stands in the spotlight, the other in the shadow.
- The old, never-spoken reproach. Something from before poisons every new discussion.
Why it’s usually structure, not character
Almost all these patterns share one root: a question that was never clarified. As long as it isn’t settled who decides in doubt and who is responsible for what, every substantive question is charged with the unresolved power question. It feels personal but is structural.
Aus meiner Praxis
When a duo tells me “we don’t fit on a human level”, I first ask: who decides when you disagree? Usually silence follows. That’s exactly where the conflict lies – not in character.
What helps
- Separate the point of contention from the actual trigger.
- Name the underlying structural question.
- Agree new, workable rules – in writing.
- Find a way to steer against it earlier in future.
If it’s stuck, a neutral outside view helps: conflict coaching in a leadership duo. Clear decision rules work preventively.
Frequently asked questions
Are conflicts in a leadership duo normal?
Yes. What matters isn’t whether there’s friction, but whether there are rules to work it out productively.
Can a stuck conflict still be resolved?
Often yes – if both want to. Sometimes the most honest solution is a clean transition.
Is this couples therapy for the office?
No. It’s about the roles and rules of collaboration, not about personality.
Sources & further reading
- Pearce, C. L. & Conger, J. A. (2003): Shared Leadership. Reframing the Hows and Whys of Leadership. Sage.
- Carson, J. B., Tesluk, P. E. & Marrone, J. A. (2007): Shared Leadership in Teams. Academy of Management Journal, 50(5), 1217–1234.
- Wang, D., Waldman, D. A. & Zhang, Z. (2014): A meta-analysis of shared leadership and team effectiveness. Journal of Applied Psychology, 99(2), 181–198.
How this article was written
This article is based on my own experience as a leader in a job-sharing model and 15 years of leading in banking, as well as the established research on shared leadership (see sources). Where I speak from practice, it is marked as such.
Amrit Rescheneder
Amrit Rescheneder helps organisations and leadership tandems build shared leadership that works. She led in a job-sharing model herself for years – after 15 years of leadership responsibility in banking. She knows shared leadership from practice, not from textbooks.
Updated: 25 July 2026