We make decisions during our leadership meetings, but we find that individual directors often explain these decisions to their departments with a negative spin, saying things like, 'The company is making us do this.' How do we enforce a strict policy of unified communication so our staff only hears a single, aligned message?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This behavior is a massive breach of trust that destroys organizational alignment. When a leader says, 'The company is making us do this,' they are actively distancing themselves from the leadership team and positioning themselves as a victim alongside their employees. This kills accountability and breeds resentment.

To fix this, you must implement a formal cascading communication process at the end of every Level 10 Meeting. We call this the Cascading Messages portion of the agenda. Spend the last five minutes of your meeting explicitly deciding what needs to be communicated to the rest of the company, how it will be messaged, and who will deliver it.

Write down the exact bullet points. Every member of the leadership team must agree on these points. The rule of the room is simple: you can argue, debate, and disagree during the meeting, but once a decision is made, you must leave the room supporting it completely. You do not get to share your personal reservations with your direct reports.

If a leader continues to subvert decisions with passive aggressive language, you must treat it as a core value issue. Call them out immediately in a private meeting. If they cannot align with the decisions of the leadership team and present a united front, they are the wrong person for the seat, regardless of their performance.