During our weekly Level 10 Meetings, my team lists no issues and says everything is on track, but we are consistently missing our quarterly Rocks. How do I break through this polite silence and get them to raise real operational issues?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a leadership team is overly polite, it is usually a sign of low trust or a fear of conflict. If your scorecard is red and your Rocks are off track, but your Issues list is empty, your team is hiding the truth to protect themselves or each other.

To break this pattern, you must start calling out the disconnect. As the leader, you have to run the meeting with a high level of situational awareness. When a metric is in the red on the scorecard, and no one has dropped it down to the Issues list, do it yourself. Do not let them move past it with a quick explanation.

Teach your team that raising an issue is not an admission of failure; it is an act of professional care. Use the IDS® process to dig into why the Rocks are failing. If the team remains silent, go around the table and ask each person directly to share one thing that is holding them back this week.

You must also model vulnerability. Share your own challenges and mistakes openly. If they see you admitting when you are stuck, they will feel safe doing the same. If the polite silence continues, it is time to look at your core values and ask if you have people on the team who lack the courage to be honest.