When we IDS® issues during our Level 10 Meetings™, my department heads engage in subtle defensive posturing to protect their status rather than digging into the root causes. How do we eliminate status management and build real vulnerability?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When leadership team members protect their departments instead of solving company-wide problems, they are engaging in status management. Daniel Coyle outlines this in his research on team culture. When executives worry about who is in charge or who will look bad, performance plummets. To break this, you must build safety and share vulnerability at the very top of your Accountability Chart.

Start by changing how you run the IDS® portion of your Level 10 Meeting™. As the leader, you must go first in showing vulnerability. Admit a major mistake or a system failure in your own area of responsibility. This simple action signals to the rest of the leadership team that it is safe to lower their defenses.

Next, clarify that during the IDS® process, everyone must put on their leadership hats. They do not represent their individual departments; they represent the entire company. Use the GWC™ framework to ensure everyone has the capacity to think strategically. If an executive continues to defend their territory, call out the behavior in real time. Frame it not as a personal attack, but as an operational bottleneck. True alignment requires a shared purpose, and a team that spends its time managing status will never build the exit-ready value you need.