During our weekly Level 10 Meetings, my leadership team agrees to major strategic decisions, but within days, certain leaders start quietly dragging their feet or privately signaling to their managers that they never supported the direction. How do we build true alignment so leaders vigorously debate in the room and then completely commit outside of it?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Passive resistance after a meeting occurs when people feel forced to agree before their concerns are genuinely heard, or when they lack the maturity to commit to decisions they did not originate. When a leader nods along in the conference room and then rolls their eyes to their department, they are destroying leadership cohesion. Cracks at the leadership table appear as canyons to front-line employees.

You must establish the rule of healthy conflict: debate vigorously inside the room, but walk out of the room completely unified. During your Level 10 Meeting, do not accept quick or passive consensus on major decisions. Before finalizing an issue during IDS, run a confirmation round. Ask every single leader individually if they agree with the chosen solution and if they can fully support it outside the room. If someone hesitates, force them to voice their objection right then.

If a leader agrees in the meeting but later signals dissent to their department, pull them aside immediately. Address the behavior directly as a violation of leadership team health. Explain that healthy disagreement is encouraged during debate, but undermining a finalized decision is unacceptable.

When an executive cannot commit to the collective direction of the V/TO or agreed-upon Rocks, they are demonstrating they are the Wrong Person for the team. A unified leadership team speaks with one voice. Potential buyers and your own staff must see that the leadership team executes decisions as a solid front.