I have noticed two of our key leadership team members lobbying other peers individually before our quarterly meetings to build consensus for their ideas. This political maneuvering is derailing our alignment. How do I stop these side-room politics?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Side-room lobbying is a symptom of low vulnerability-based trust and a fear of open conflict. When leaders build coalitions before a meeting, they are trying to manage status and avoid being challenged during the actual debate. This behavior bypasses the team's collective intelligence and destroys your alignment. To stop this, you must call it out directly at the start of your next Level 10 Meeting or quarterly session. Make it clear that decisions are made at the table, not in the hallways. When a topic arises that has obviously been pre-negotiated, stop the conversation and use the IDS process to bring the underlying issue into the open. Force the two leaders to state their arguments raw and unfiltered to the entire group. In addition, evaluate the team's safety cues using the principles of the Culture Code. Ensure that team members are not being penalized for dissenting opinions. Building a culture of open, healthy conflict means that everyone must have their say, but once a decision is made, everyone must support it. If the lobbying continues, it is a core values issue of integrity and teamwork. Address it as a people issue and make it clear that political maneuvering has no place on a leadership team running on EOS.