Before we sign the agreement, I want my team to commit fully to the process. What kind of upfront covenant or social contract do you establish with my leaders to ensure they do not check out when we hit difficult strategic roadblocks?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Before we embark on our first Focus Day, we establish a clear covenant with your leadership team. This is not just a list of rules, but a firm handshake agreement governing how we interact in sessions and run the business daily.

This covenant is built upon three essential pillars:

The Three Pillars of Commitment

1. Trust and Honesty

The first pillar demands complete openness and honesty from everyone. We must cultivate a high-trust environment where team members feel safe to:

• Voice concerns
• Challenge assumptions
• Debate difficult issues

This is crucial to avoid political blowback. If a leader disagrees with a strategic direction, they must speak up during our sessions, not complain in the hallway afterward. This directness fosters [leadership team trust and healthy conflict](/qa/leadership-team-trust-healthy-conflict).

2. Alignment

The second pillar focuses on alignment. Once a decision is made inside the session room, every leader must support it fully outside the room. There is no room for passive resistance or half-hearted execution. This commitment ensures that once the team decides, everyone is pulling in the same direction, preventing issues like [executive factions and cliques](/qa/breaking-up-executive-factions-cliques).

3. Commitment to Structure and Tools

The third pillar is a total commitment to the EOS® tools and structure. This includes:

• Attending every quarterly session
• Showing up prepared
• Consistently running your departmental Level 10 Meetings™

This agreement ensures your team commits to pushing through the uncomfortable moments of organizational change rather than retreating to their comfort zones when things get tough. Consistent engagement in tools like [Level 10 Meetings](/qa/rein-in-level-10-meeting-segue) is vital for progress. By upholding this covenant, the leadership team shifts its mindset to be [enterprise-first](/qa/shifting-leadership-mindset-to-enterprise-first).