Enemy in the Next Office: How to Lead Through Blurred Lines and Shared Turf

Today’s workplace can feel like a battleground—62% of employees admit to having a work nemesis, often fueled by overlapping leadership roles in increasingly crowded C-suites. Titles like Chief Digital Officer, Chief Growth Officer, or Chief Customer Experience Officer are often added without redefining existing roles, causing confusion, tension, and conflict.

These overlaps typically lack clear decision rights or updated processes, leaving leaders and their teams to navigate gray areas alone. CEOs and CHROs may miss the signs of dysfunction because senior leaders rarely voice concerns directly. Instead, passive-aggressive behaviors and turf wars quietly erode culture and effectiveness.

When you’re caught in this situation—either as a new executive or an established one—it’s your response that will shape your credibility and impact. Here’s how to lead with clarity and professionalism:

• Start with a Candid Conversation: Meet one-on-one with the overlapping peer. Focus on shared goals and agree on guiding principles before diving into role boundaries.
• Define Clear Swim Lanes: Clarify accountabilities (not just tasks) and align on outcomes, letting teams collaborate within that framework.
• Establish Joint KPIs or OKRs: Create shared goals and metrics that require collaboration, ideally with incentives tied to joint success.
• Get CEO and CHRO Support: After aligning with your peer, brief leadership on your plan and risks of leaving things unclear. Secure their backing to reinforce the new clarity.
• Communicate Clearly to Teams: Show up together—on stage or Zoom—and explain how the partnership works. Define success and eliminate ambiguity.
• Model the Right Behavior: Avoid gossip or passive aggression. Your professionalism becomes your reputation.
• Use RACI Strategically: Don’t overdo it. Use simplified, targeted RACI charts to clarify decision rights and key friction points. Keep them visible and updated.

Ultimately, you may not control org design—but you do control your response. Step up as a collaborative, outcome-focused leader. That’s how you earn trust, deliver results, and stand out.

Read the full article here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/enemy-next-office-how-lead-through-blurred-lines-shared-sherlock-t7hxc