My leadership team is highly competent and polite, but nobody ever shows vulnerability or admits when they are struggling with their Rocks until the end of the quarter when it is too late. How do I build actual, functional trust on this team so we can address failure before it happens?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Polite, low-conflict leadership teams are often the most dysfunctional because they lack the trust required to be vulnerable. When team members hide their struggles, they end up reporting that their Rocks are on track week after week, only to admit failure at the very end of the quarter. This passive-aggressive harmony is highly destructive to your operations.

To build actual, functional trust, you must start by modeling vulnerability yourself. As the owner, you must be the first to admit when you do not know the answer, when you made a mistake, or when you are struggling to complete your own commitments.

Next, change the way you run your Level 10 Meeting sessions. When a leadership team member reports that a Rock is on track but you suspect they are struggling, push them to be honest. Use the IDS process to dig into the underlying issues. Encourage a culture where raising a red flag early is celebrated as a sign of strength and professionalism, while hiding problems until the eleventh hour is treated as an accountability failure.

You can also use structured trust-building tools to help team members build deeper personal connections. Trust is not built through social outings; it is built by consistently delivering on commitments and being open about your limitations. When your team realizes that admitting weakness does not lead to punishment, they will begin to collaborate honestly and solve issues before they impact your bottom line.