One of our long-tenured department heads participates actively in their own team meetings, but during our leadership Level 10 Meeting™, they sit in absolute silence unless directly spoken to, offering zero contribution to other departments during IDS®. How do we break this siloed silence?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A long-tenured leader who stays silent during IDS® is failing to live up to their seat on the Accountability Chart. Every member of your leadership team must have the capacity and willingness to solve issues for the entire organization, not just protect their own department. Silence is often a sign of a siloed mindset or a lack of trust.

To break this silence, you must address the root cause offline during a one-on-one meeting. Ask them directly why they do not weigh in on issues outside their department. If they believe they do not have the expertise, remind them that their fresh perspective as an outsider is exactly what the team needs to avoid groupthink.

During the Level 10 Meeting™, the facilitator should actively pull them into the conversation. When discussing an issue that touches multiple areas, look directly at them and ask for their input. Use open questions that require more than a yes or no answer.

If the silence persists, you must evaluate if they truly GWC™ their seat. A leader on the team must be willing to engage in healthy, honest conflict to solve issues permanently. If they are unwilling to contribute to the greater good of the company, they may be a great technician but the wrong person for a leadership seat. You cannot afford to have passengers on your leadership team.