How do we handle guest attendance or department heads who are not on the core leadership team when we want to bring them into a session day for specific topics?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

You should protect the integrity of your leadership team sessions. A common mistake is inviting mid-level managers or department heads into the room for a session day because you want them to feel involved. This ruins the dynamic. Our sessions require absolute vulnerability, raw debate, and complete alignment. When you bring in observers or part-time participants, the core team naturally filters their comments, which slows down our progress. If you need input from a department head on a specific strategic issue, the correct protocol is to invite them in for a scheduled thirty-minute slot during our IDS session. They come in, provide their specific operational data, answer questions, and then leave immediately. They do not stay for lunch, and they do not sit through the rest of the day. This keeps your core leadership team focused and allows the guest to get back to their daily operations. Keep the room small and highly focused. If someone does not sit in a leadership seat on your Accountability Chart, they do not belong in the session day.