Our Level 10 Meetings run on time and we track our numbers, but during the IDS portion, our leadership team passes issues back and forth like a polite game of hot potato rather than tackling the root causes. How do we force our team to engage in uncomfortable, real-time conflict to solve our toughest operational bottlenecks?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When your leadership team passes issues back and forth like a polite game of hot potato during your Level 10 Meeting™, you are experiencing artificial harmony. True progress is stalled because your team is avoiding the uncomfortable, honest debates required to solve deep operational bottlenecks. You must force the team to engage in real, unfiltered conflict.

To break this cycle, you must become a miner of conflict. During the IDS® portion of your meeting, pay close attention to body language and tone of voice. When you sense that someone is holding back or politely agreeing to a superficial solution, call it out immediately. Ask the hard, direct questions that force the real issue to the surface.

Remind your team that unresolved issues do not disappear; they simply fester and create bigger problems later. Use the IDS® framework rigorously. Do not move on to the next issue until the root cause of the current issue has been identified, debated, and a concrete action step has been agreed upon.

Fostering a healthy, cohesive, and functional leadership team requires the courage to deal with discomfort. When your team sees that engaging in healthy conflict leads to actual resolution rather than personal attacks, their trust in each other and the EOS® process will grow, making your meetings far more productive.