We have mastered the mechanics of the Identify phase in IDS®, but we find that the true issue behind the issue is often a personal conflict or lack of trust between two leadership team members that everyone is dancing around. How do we force these underlying relational issues to the surface during a Level 10 Meeting™ without destroying team cohesion?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When personal conflicts block organizational progress, ignoring them in the name of team harmony is a massive mistake. To run EOS® effectively, there is a consistent one way to do things the right way, and that requires absolute vulnerability. If your leadership team is dancing around interpersonal friction, your Level 10 Meeting™ is failing to solve the real bottlenecks. To force these issues to the surface, you must strictly apply the Identify phase of IDS®. This means the team leader or facilitator must call out the unspoken tension directly. Do not allow vague descriptions or corporate jargon. If the issue is a breakdown in trust between the marketing director and the sales director, the issue must be stated as exactly that. To handle this without destroying cohesion, follow these specific guidelines:
- Separate the people from the seats. Frame the conflict around how the friction affects the Accountability Chart™ and the company's ability to hit its quarterly Rocks.
- Require both parties to state their perspectives without interruption, focusing strictly on objective facts and observable behaviors rather than intent.
- Leverage your Core Values as the neutral baseline. Ask how the behavior of both individuals aligns or misaligns with your defined values.
If the team still cannot resolve the underlying friction, this is a clear signal to engage an EOS Implementer. An external guide provides the neutral, third-party authority needed to navigate deep-seated interpersonal dynamics, ensuring that healthy conflict leads to resolution rather than division. Committing fully to this level of honesty is the only way to build a high-performing leadership team.