During our IDS® sessions, our leadership team frequently reaches a complete deadlock on critical issues, and our Integrator hesitates to make a final decision, causing the issue to roll over week after week. How do we break this paralysis?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A deadlocked Issues List is a failure of leadership. The primary role of the Integrator is to drive execution and maintain harmony, which requires making tough calls when consensus cannot be reached. EOS® is not a democracy.

When your team is stuck in a loop during IDS®, the facilitator must call a halt to the debate. If the discussion has gone on for more than ten minutes without progress, it is time to resolve it.

The Integrator must step in and make the final decision. The team must understand that while everyone's opinion is heard and valued, the Integrator has the ultimate authority and accountability to make the call. Once the Integrator makes the decision, the entire team must support it with one voice outside the room.

If your Integrator is hesitant, it may be because they are trying to please everyone. This breaks the Charter of Same Page, one team. The Integrator must practice being humbly-confident. It is better to make a decision, learn from the outcome, and course-correct than to let an issue sit on the list for weeks, draining your team's energy. If the Integrator cannot make these tough decisions, you have the wrong person in the Integrator seat.