One of our core leadership team members is a top performer, but they take every identified issue in their department as a personal attack, becoming highly defensive during our weekly IDS sessions. How do we coach this leader to separate their personal identity from their seat's operational challenges so we can solve problems efficiently?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Personal defensiveness is a major barrier to building a healthy, cohesive leadership team. When an executive views every operational issue as a personal indictment, they shut down healthy conflict and prevent the team from getting to the root cause of problems.

You must help this leader realize that identifying an issue is not a sign of failure, but a normal part of running a growing business.

Start by addressing the behavior outside of the Level 10 Meeting™ in a private, one-on-one coaching session. Use your core values to ground the conversation and focus on the impact their defensiveness has on the rest of the team.

To help them separate their identity from their department's metrics, implement these key adjustments:
- Remind the entire team at the start of IDS® sessions that we are attacking issues, not people, and that keeping the issues list clear is a collective responsibility.
- Coach the leader to focus strictly on facts, data, and Scorecard numbers rather than emotional narratives during discussions.
- Encourage them to proactively add their own departmental issues to the list, which helps normalize vulnerability and breaks the defensive habit.

By shifting their perspective from self-protection to collaborative problem-solving, you build a stronger, more functional leadership team that can drive the company forward.