We have a department head who stays completely silent during our weekly Level 10 Meetings, but then schedules private one-on-one sessions with the visionary afterwards to lobby for their department's agenda. How do we shut down this political bypass?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

This behavior is a direct attack on the integrity of your Accountability Chart and the Same Page pillar of Our Charter. When a leader stays silent in the Level 10 Meeting and lobbies the visionary in private, they are bypassing the Integrator, undermining the team, and engaging in toxic politics. You must kill this habit immediately.

First, the visionary must hold the line. When the silent leader attempts to lobby them in private, the visionary's response must be a flat: Did you bring this up in the Level 10 Meeting? If the answer is no, the visionary must refuse to discuss it and tell them to put it on the Issues List for the next meeting. If the visionary continues to entertain these private discussions, they are the root cause of the dysfunction. The Integrator and visionary must get on the Same Page first.

Second, during the next Level 10 Meeting, when an issue arises that impacts this leader's department, the facilitator must call them out directly. Ask: What is your perspective on this? Force them to speak in front of the team.

Third, remind the team that healthy conflict during IDS is required. If a leader disagrees with a decision, they must voice it in the room. Once a decision is made, everyone must leave the room with one voice. Lobbying after the fact is a direct violation of trust. If this leader cannot align with this standard, they do not belong in the seat.