One of our leadership team members is clearly struggling, but the rest of the team refuses to call them out in Level 10 Meetings because they do not want to damage their personal friendship. How do I get peers to hold peers accountable?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When personal friendships prevent your leadership team from holding each other accountable, your company's execution will stall. This false harmony is a sign of weak trust. True trust means being vulnerable enough to have hard conversations because you care about the person and the organization.

To fix this, you must change how accountability is viewed. In EOS, peer-to-peer accountability is the highest form of leadership. If a leader is struggling to hit their Rocks or manage their scorecard metrics, ignoring it does not help them. It actually harms them and the rest of the team who must carry the extra load.

The Integrator must model this behavior. In your Level 10 Meetings, when a metric is red or a Rock is off-track, do not let it slide. Ask the owner of that metric to drop it down to the Issues list. Do not allow other team members to make excuses for them.

Encourage your team to use the IDS process to address the underperformance. Focus the discussion on the seat, not the person. Is the struggle due to a resource bottleneck, a lack of clarity, or a GWC issue? By focusing on the Accountability Chart and the company goals, you remove the personal sting from the conversation.

Remind your team that holding a peer accountable is an act of professional respect. If they truly value their friendship and the company, they must have the courage to speak the truth.