Updated September 2026: in June 2020 I described being assigned an opportunity where my manager and the onsite coordinator each gave me different tasks, leaving me with two task lists for one deliverable. I have rewritten it into advice on handling conflicting instructions from two leads.
On the first day of that opportunity, the onsite coordinator asked for a few slide changes and some coordination with other teams. It looked simple, and I committed to finishing the next day. The following morning my manager added his own set of suggestions, unrelated to the client's requirements. I now had two lists: one from the coordinator, one from my manager, and the two of them already clashed over small inputs.
Why do conflicting instructions happen?
Because two people feel responsible for the same outcome and neither owns it clearly. The onsite coordinator is closest to the client; your manager is accountable for you and your team's reputation. Without an agreed split, both give direction, and the person doing the work absorbs the conflict.
What should you do when two leads give different tasks?
- Write both lists down side by side and note where they conflict or overlap.
- Ask one question to both: "Which of these does the client need for this deadline?"
- Get a single priority order agreed in writing, ideally in one shared email or call.
- Finish the agreed list first, and park the rest.
How do you avoid being caught between two egos?
Do not carry messages between them. If your manager's suggestion conflicts with the coordinator's, put both people on the same email or call and let them settle it. Relaying one person's view to the other makes you the messenger for a disagreement that is not yours, and it usually arrives distorted.
What if your manager's tasks do not match the client's needs?
Ask your manager to explain how the task serves the client's requirement. Sometimes there is a good reason you have not heard. If there is not, the question itself often makes the task quietly disappear. If it does not, and you are told to do both, state the time impact plainly so the deadline is renegotiated rather than silently missed.
How do you prevent it on the next opportunity?
At kickoff, ask who is the single point of approval for the deliverable. Write it in the scope summary. When everyone knows whose sign-off counts, competing instructions become suggestions to be approved, not tasks you must complete twice.