Create room for difficult conversations
In this interview, PMO Partners Managing Director Andrew Dolvig discusses why peer accountability remains uncommon. Only 30% of executives in the firm’s research said their team holds one another accountable. Leaders need a constructive way to challenge ideas without turning disagreement into a personal contest.
Test alignment beyond the headline goal
Healthy debate and accurate reporting help executives recognize drift. When teams hesitate to share bad news, leaders make decisions from different fragments of reality.
Dolvig describes a simple diagnostic: ask each leader for their two highest priorities. Agreement on a broad goal such as growth can conceal incompatible methods, competing resource demands, and missing collaboration. Compare the answers, resolve dependencies, and take ownership of the gaps. Initial agreement is easier than sustained alignment; leadership behavior determines whether that agreement survives daily execution.