Our leadership team members are comfortable being held accountable by our Integrator, but they refuse to hold each other accountable during our Level 10 Meetings, preferring to let issues slide to avoid damaging their personal friendships. How do we foster true peer-to-peer accountability?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When accountability only flows vertically from the Integrator, you do not have a cohesive leadership team; you have a collection of direct reports. Peer-to-peer accountability is the hallmark of a high-performing executive team. If your leaders are letting issues slide to protect their friendships, they are actually damaging the company and putting those friendships ahead of the business's success. To build peer-to-peer accountability, you must first redefine what healthy conflict looks like. During your next quarterly planning session, have an open conversation about this dynamic. Explain that holding a peer accountable is not an act of aggression; it is an act of respect. It means you trust them enough to speak the truth and believe they are capable of delivering. Next, change how you run your Level 10 Meetings. When a number is missed on the scorecard or a Rock is off track, the Integrator must remain silent and allow the other team members to ask the hard questions first. Force the team to address the variance. If a department head misses their goal, their peers should be the ones asking, What happened, and how can we help you get this back on track? If the team stays silent, the Integrator should call them out directly and ask why they are not addressing the variance. Over time, this normalizes peer-to-peer accountability and builds a culture where the team holds itself to a high standard.