Every time we run our Level 10 Meetings™, my leadership team members spend more time defending their department actions and managing their status than actually solving issues. How do we build genuine vulnerability and trust in the room?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When leadership team members spend their energy managing their status and defending their departments, it is a clear sign of low safety. In high performing teams, members are willing to admit mistakes, share failures, and ask for help because they know they will not be penalized.

To break this habit of self-protection, the leadership must lead by example. As the Visionary or Integrator, you must be the first to show vulnerability. During the check-in portion of your next Level 10 Meeting™, share a major personal mistake or a business decision you got wrong. When the team sees the leader being vulnerable, it signals that it is safe for them to do the same.

Next, use the Trust Equation framework to address self orientation. When team members are highly focused on protecting their own reputation, their self orientation is high, which instantly destroys trust. Shift the focus of your meetings from who is right to what is right for the company.

Enforce the IDS® process strictly. When an issue is raised, do not allow team members to give long, defensive explanations. Force them to state the issue in one clear sentence, then immediately move to solving the root cause of the problem. Over time, this disciplined approach will replace defensiveness with productive collaboration.