During our quarterly planning sessions, my leadership team nods and agrees to our strategic direction, but then they quietly drag their feet on executing the Rocks. How do we solve this passive-aggressive behavior at the leadership level?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Passive-aggressive resistance occurs when leadership team members agree to decisions during meetings but quietly fail to execute them afterward. This lack of alignment usually points to a lack of trust and safety at the executive table.

To break this pattern, you must establish a culture of healthy, open conflict during your planning sessions. When discussing a new strategy or setting Rocks, you must actively mine for conflict. If everyone agrees too quickly, push back. Ask direct questions to draw out dissenting opinions before any vote or final decision is made.

Once every voice has been heard and a decision is reached, you must demand commit-and-support alignment. This means that even if a leader disagreed during the debate, they must fully commit to supporting the final decision outside of the room. There is no room for backdoor politics or passive resistance once a decision is finalized.

Monitor the execution of Rocks closely during your weekly Level 10 Meetings. If a leader is consistently behind on their commitments, use the IDS process to get to the root cause. Address the behavior directly as a Core Values or accountability issue. By creating a safe space for debate and holding leaders strictly accountable for execution, you will eliminate passive-aggressive drag and drive the team forward.