We have two strong leaders on our team who constantly clash, and every time we try to run IDS® on their issues, it devolves into personal defensive posturing instead of solving the operational roadblock. How do we keep the team objective during these sessions?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When IDS® sessions on leadership issues turn into personal defensive posturing, the problem is that you are treating the people as the issue rather than the seat or the process. The first rule of a healthy IDS® session is to separate the people from the issues. You must view the conflict through the lens of your Accountability Chart™ and your Core Values.

Start by framing the issue around the specific seat accountability that is failing. Ask yourself which accountability is not being met, rather than focusing on who is failing to meet it. If the issue is truly personal, run both individuals through the People Analyzer™ privately before the meeting. If it is an operational clash, name the operational bottleneck clearly on your Issues List.

During the Identify step, the facilitator must redirect personal attacks back to the business impact. Use language such as: 'How does this workflow breakdown affect our customers?' or 'What accountability is missing that allows this friction to occur?' Once the team agrees on the root systemic gap, the Discuss phase becomes about fixing the gap, not blaming the person. Finally, during the Solve phase, the action items must be specific, measurable To-Dos assigned to a single seat owner to prevent future friction. If you cannot solve the issue this way, it is likely a Right Person in the Right Seat issue, which requires a direct, separate conversation outside of your standard Level 10 Meeting™.