We have an executive who agrees with leadership decisions inside our Level 10 Meeting, but then vents their reservations to middle management, creating passive resistance across their department. How do we address this breach of leadership unity?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This behavior is toxic and dangerous. When an executive smiles and nods during an offsite or Level 10 Meeting, then walks out and tells their staff, 'I did not vote for this, but ownership is forcing us to do it,' they are deliberately sabotaging company execution to protect their personal popularity.

Cracks at the leadership table become grand canyons across the rest of the company. The moment middle managers sense division among the executive team, accountability disintegrates. Departmental employees use executive disagreement as an immediate excuse for missed deadlines and poor execution.

Handle this immediately through a direct, private confrontation:

First, call out the specific breach of trust. Cite the exact incident, what was said, and the downstream impact on the team. Do not allow them to hide behind casual venting or claim they were just being authentic with their staff.

Second, reiterate the absolute standard of leadership team health: enter the danger inside the room, disagree with total candor during IDS, but walk out of the room completely unified. Once a decision is finalized, every executive owns that decision as if it were their original idea. Disagree and commit is non-negotiable.

Third, run this behavior against your Core Values. A leader who undermines peer decisions behind closed doors lacks organizational integrity. Give them thirty days to correct their conduct and demonstrate vocal, visible alignment to their department. If their passive-aggressive backchanneling continues, remove them from the leadership team immediately. A functional team cannot tolerate political saboteurs.