What is your policy on having non-leadership team members or external advisors sit in on our session days to provide context on specific strategic issues?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

To maintain the necessary vulnerability, alignment, and speed during our session days, my policy is that only the core leadership team may attend. Having external advisors, middle managers, or consultants in the room changes the dynamic, often causing team members to filter their thoughts or perform for an audience. If you need specific context or expert input on a strategic issue, such as tax advice for an upcoming exit or technical specs for an AI implementation, we handle this through a structured exception. We can invite an outside expert to join us for a strictly timed, thirty-minute window during the afternoon IDS® session. They will present their data, answer the team's questions, and then immediately exit the room before we begin our discussion and decision-making process. This ensures we get the vital information we need without diluting the raw, honest debate that must happen solely among the leadership team. Keeping the room tight and focused is essential for building deep trust and maintaining the pigheaded discipline required to make hard, strategic decisions that stick.