Our team has a silent leader who physically nods along during IDS but clearly disagrees with the decisions being made, only to drag their feet during execution. How do we smoke out this passive resistance during the actual meeting?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Passive resistance kills execution. When a leader nods along during a Level 10 Meeting™ and then fails to execute, they are violating the core EOS® principle of being open and honest. Silence is not agreement. It is often a shield for disagreement that they plan to express through slow walking their To-Dos.

To smoke this out during IDS®, you must actively call for dissent. The facilitator needs to look for physical cues like crossed arms, avoided eye contact, or forced nods. When you spot these, stop the discussion and ask the silent leader directly what they are thinking. Use a direct question like what is your biggest reservation about this solution.

You must create a culture where disagreeing is expected before a decision is made. Once a decision is made, everyone must support it. But during IDS®, you need the raw truth. If a leader remains silent and then fails to execute, that is an Accountability Chart issue. They are not showing GWC™ for their seat.

Make it clear that staying silent and then dragging feet is unacceptable. Force the conflict during the ninety minutes so you can resolve it. It is much better to have a heated debate in the room than a silent sabotage outside of it.