One of our department heads sits completely silent during our Level 10 Meeting because they believe the issues discussed only impact other departments. How do we break this siloed mindset and get them to participate in enterprise-level problem-solving?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a department head sits silently during the IDS portion of your Level 10 Meeting because they feel the issues do not touch their department, they are failing their seat on the Accountability Chart. As a member of the leadership team, their job is not just to run their specific department. Their primary responsibility is to help steer the entire company. We call this the First Team concept. Your leadership team is your first team; your department is second. If they only care about their own silo, you have a structure and alignment problem. To break this behavior, the Integrator must draw them into the discussion. Do not let them sit back. During IDS, when an issue is being discussed, direct questions specifically to them. Ask for their perspective on how a sales issue might impact operations, or how an operations bottleneck affects finance. This forces them to think holistically. If they continue to disengage, you must address this in a one-on-one setting. Use the GWC framework to evaluate if they truly have the capacity and desire to sit in a leadership seat. A true leader on the Accountability Chart wants to solve company-wide problems, not just departmental ones. They must understand that silence is not neutral; it is a passive drag on the business. If they cannot or will not contribute to the wider vision, you may have the wrong person in that seat.