During our weekly employee and customer headlines, our leaders often share what sounds like a simple operational update, but it actually masks a massive systemic problem. How do we instantly spot these Trojan horse headlines and transition them to the Issues List without breaking our agenda flow?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A headline is meant to be a quick, five-second update on major news, such as a client win or a key employee departure. It is not a discussion. A Trojan horse headline occurs when a leader shares a significant, systemic issue under the guise of an update, hoping to bypass the formal IDS® process and slip a quick solution past the team.

To protect your agenda, the facilitator must act as a strict gatekeeper. The moment a leader begins explaining the background of a headline, the facilitator must interrupt. Ask the simple question: is this just an update, or is there an issue we need to solve?

If there is any debate or action required, immediately drop it to the short-term Issues List and move to the next headline. Do not allow the team to start discussing, explaining, or solving it on the spot. Keeping your headlines brief and disciplined ensures you preserve the entire sixty minutes of your meeting for structured, prioritized problem-solving rather than chaotic side conversations.