Our weekly Level 10 Meeting feels like a polished status report where everyone claims their numbers are fine, but operational disasters keep blindsiding us. How do we get our leadership team to drop their defenses and put real issues on the table?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a leadership team uses the Level 10 Meeting as a PR showcase instead of an engine for operational truth, your business is flying blind. Leaders hide negative numbers or lagging Rocks when they believe exposure will lead to personal blame rather than collaborative problem-solving.

You must rewire the psychology of the meeting by changing how you respond to dropped balls. If an executive reports an off-track measurable on the Scorecard, praise the visibility immediately. Say: Thank you for identifying that early. Drop it down to the Issues List. Never interrogate or scold someone during the five-minute reporting phase. The reporting agenda is strictly for declaring on-track or off-track status without commentary.

Save all discussion for IDS. Once an issue is on the table, focus relentlessly on the root cause rather than assigning fault. Use data-driven inquiry. Is the off-track number a broken process, a capacity shortfall, or an unrealistic target? When the team sees that bringing bad news to the table leads to root-cause fixes rather than executive humiliation, defensive posturing evaporates.

Model vulnerability yourself. If you missed a deadline, made an inaccurate strategic assumption, or fumbled an external relationship, put it on the Issues List first. When the owner openly admits operational misses, it gives the rest of the leadership team permission to be honest.

Finally, call out smoke screens in real time. If an executive consistently reports green across the board while their department suffers turnover or customer complaints, challenge the metrics. A Scorecard that always looks perfect while the business struggles is broken. Demand metrics that actually predict failure before it happens.