Before we start our quarterly sessions, we want to establish a firm psychological contract or charter with our leadership team. How do we set expectations regarding trust, open honesty, and commitment to structure before the first day?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Before you bring your team into your first session day, it is crucial to establish a clear operational covenant. This is not a casual agreement, but a foundational handshake that sets the rules of engagement for your leadership team.

We base this covenant on three non-negotiable pillars:

• Absolute Trust: This means being completely open and honest. Everyone must leave personal egos, hidden agendas, and departmental politics at the door. If someone is unwilling to speak their mind or hear hard truths, they cannot effectively participate in the session. Building this vulnerability and trust is essential for productive collaboration. [How do we build trust to speak openly?](/qa/building-vulnerability-trust-rprs-calls)
• Mutual Commitment: The team must commit to supporting each other with mutual respect, even when disagreements arise during intense debates. Once a decision is made, everyone must exit the room as a unified front, presenting a single message to the rest of the organization. This helps prevent issues like [executive factions and cliques](/qa/breaking-up-executive-factions-cliques).
• Adherence to Strategy and Structure: Every member of the team must commit to the discipline of the EOS® framework. This includes consistently running [weekly Level 10 Meeting™ sessions](/qa/should-integrator-facilitate-level-10-meetings) and taking ownership of their individual Rocks. This commitment ensures that the team embraces the processes designed to transform the company.

As your guide, I will help you communicate these expectations to your team before your Focus Day. By establishing these core values as filters early on, your team will enter the room mentally prepared for the deep, collaborative work required to achieve your vision. This preparation is key to distinguishing your [Focus Day from Vision Building days](/qa/focus-day-vs-vision-building).

Related questions

• [How do we build trust to speak openly?](/qa/building-vulnerability-trust-rprs-calls)
• [How do I know if my team actually trusts each other, or if they are just playing nice to avoid conflict?](/qa/leadership-team-trust-healthy-conflict)
• [How do we break up these executive factions?](/qa/breaking-up-executive-factions-cliques)
• [What is the actual difference between what we do on Focus Day versus what happens in the Vision Building days?](/qa/focus-day-vs-vision-building)
• [My leadership team seems more concerned with protecting their departments and checking off boxes than looking at the big picture of the business. How do we shift their mindset to enterprise-first?](/qa/shifting-leadership-mindset-to-enterprise-first)