One of my executives actively supports decisions during our leadership meetings, but once they return to their department, they quietly undermine the plan and tell staff they disagreed with it. How do I address this passive-aggressive executive sabotage?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Passive-aggressive sabotage destroys leadership team health faster than open insubordination. When an executive smiles in the Level 10 Meeting and then complains to their department, they are breeding cynicism and eroding company-wide alignment.

Address this immediately in a private, one-on-one session. Do not wait for quarterly reviews. Bring specific examples of the behavior, including what was said to the staff and how it contradicted the agreed-upon leadership team decision. Be direct: this behavior violates basic executive standards and creates canyons of distrust throughout the organization.

Reinforce the core discipline of healthy conflict: debate vigorously inside the room during IDS, but commit entirely outside the room. Remind them that once a decision is finalized, every executive shares equal ownership of the outcome. Their job is to cascade the decision to their department with full conviction, regardless of where they stood during the initial debate.

Assess their fit on the People Analyzer. If they claim they only agreed in the meeting to avoid conflict, they lack the courage required for executive leadership. If they admit to disagreeing but chose to rally their department against the leadership team, they are actively toxic. Give them zero tolerance for repeat offenses. Make it clear that continuing this behavior will result in immediate removal from the Accountability Chart.