One of our key managers gets defensive and starts explaining away the context every time their scorecard metric drops into the red. How do we handle this in the Level 10 Meeting?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Defensiveness usually stems from a misunderstanding of what the scorecard is for. If a manager feels that a red number is a personal attack or a threat to their job security, they will instinctively make excuses. You must reshape how your team views red numbers.

In an EOS culture, a red number is not a failure. It is simply an early warning light on the dashboard of your car indicating that the engine needs attention. Red numbers are opportunities to solve problems before they become crises.

During your Level 10 Meeting, enforce the rule of no explanations during the scorecard review. If the manager starts explaining, gently cut them off and say, 'Let us drop it to the Issues List and IDS it later.'

When you get to the IDS portion, focus the conversation entirely on the system, not the person. Ask questions like: Is the target still realistic? Do we have the right resource allocation? Is there a bottleneck in the process? This shifts the focus from blame to problem solving, which naturally reduces defensiveness over time.