We have two highly defensive department heads who turn every cross-functional issue in our Level 10 Meeting™ into a finger-pointing turf war, which derails the meeting and makes the rest of the team uncomfortable. How do we use our company Charter to shut down this political posturing during IDS®?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When department heads turn IDS® into a political turf war, they are violating the foundational trust pillar of your company Charter. Level 10 Meetings™ require open, honest, and vulnerable debate to solve root issues. If leaders are focused on protecting their territory or pointing fingers, you will only solve symptoms, leaving the actual problems to rot and multiply. To stop this, the facilitator must immediately call out the behavior when it occurs. Do not let the debate continue under the guise of healthy conflict. Stop the meeting and remind the team of your company Charter. Ask a direct question: Are we trying to win an argument, or are we trying to solve this issue for the good of the organization? Next, force the two fighting leaders to state the issue from each other's perspective. This exercise builds empathy and defuses defensive posturing. The team must then look at the Accountability Chart to clarify who has final accountability for the area where the issue resides. If the turf war persists, the Integrator must address it outside the meeting in a one-on-one session. Use the GWC™ tool to evaluate if these leaders fit your core values. A leader who prioritizes their department's silo over the company's overall health does not fit the seat. Consistently defending territory at the expense of team alignment is a sign of a core values misalignment that must be resolved, or you must make a change.