One of our co-owners is preparing for an exit in two years and has completely checked out of our weekly Level 10 Meeting, sitting silently and offering zero input during IDS. This silence is killing the team's energy and stalling critical decisions. How do we re-engage a departing partner who has already mentally left the building?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a co-owner checks out mentally, it sends a toxic message to the rest of the leadership team. It signals that the weekly meeting pulse is a chore rather than a vital tool for driving the business forward. If this partner is still holding a seat on your Accountability Chart, they must fulfill the expectations of that seat, which includes fully participating in the Level 10 Meeting.

To resolve this, you need to have a direct, one-on-one conversation outside of the meeting. Use the GWC framework. Do they still get, want, and have the capacity to do their job, which includes active leadership? If they are transitioning out, their seat needs to reflect their actual responsibilities. If they are staying in the seat until the exit, they must commit to the team's weekly discipline.

During the meeting, the facilitator must actively draw them into IDS sessions. Do not let them sit back. Ask them directly for their perspective, especially on issues that affect the long-term value of the business or the transition of tribal knowledge.

If they cannot or will not engage, it is time to transition them out of that seat sooner than planned. Keeping a disengaged leader in a critical seat damages accountability and lowers the standard for everyone else. Transition them to an advisory role outside the weekly leadership pulse so the remaining team can step up and prove they can run the business without them.