When we identify an issue during our Level 10 Meeting that points to a failure in a specific department, that department head immediately gets defensive and starts attacking other departments to deflect blame. How does the facilitator shut down this defensive deflecting and keep the focus on solving the issue?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a leader gets defensive and starts deflecting blame during the IDS® portion of your Level 10 Meeting™, it halts all productive problem-solving. This behavior usually stems from a fear of looking incompetent or a misunderstanding of what accountability means in an EOS® culture.

As the facilitator, you must instantly step in and reset the ground rules. Interrupt the deflection immediately and say, "We are not here to point fingers or assign blame. We are here to solve a process bottleneck so we can make the company stronger. Let's keep the focus on the issue, not the person."

Redirect the conversation back to the Accountability Chart. Ask the defensive leader, "Which seat on our Accountability Chart owns this metric or process?" Once that is established, ask them to help the team identify the root cause of the breakdown. If they continue to deflect, state clearly, "To solve this permanently, we need to look at the facts and the numbers, not the emotions. Let's look at the Scorecard data."

If the defensiveness is a chronic pattern, this is a GWC™ issue or a core values misalignment that must be addressed outside the meeting in a one-on-one session. In the room, keep the environment safe but completely transparent, showing that vulnerability is the only way to achieve operational excellence.