Most leadership teams that run on EOS know the IDS process like the back of their hand.
Throughout the week, they collect their Issues, prioritize the most important ones in a Level 10 Meeting, and move through the process of Identifying, Discussing, and Solving.
It’s simple on paper and obvious in nature. But any team that’s been through enough Annuals, Quarterlies, or Level 10 Meetings knows the real challenge isn’t the framework, it’s making sure people feel safe enough to speak honestly in the first place.
The Issues Component of EOS is essential. Issues are more than hang-ups and roadblocks. They can also be ideas, hunches, or updates you need to share with the team, making IDS critical to success. And that makes honesty critical to IDS.
Being Honest with Each Other
Psychological safety is the shared belief among team members that it’s okay to take interpersonal risks—to ask questions, admit mistakes, voice concerns, hold each other accountable, challenge assumptions, or share half-formed ideas—without fear of humiliation or retribution. But it’s easier to hope for than to create in practice.
In teams that lack psychological safety, IDS becomes a performance rather than a practice. Meetings feel polite, but the real Issues rarely surface. You might see the same few people contributing, while others sit quietly, waiting to be invited or hoping the problem will resolve on its own. In the most subtle form, silence becomes the dominant voice in the room, not because there’s nothing to say, but because people don’t feel safe saying what they’re feeling.
Leaders often unintentionally shape that silence. We rush toward solutions because uncertainty feels inefficient. We defend past decisions to show resolve. We ask for input, but then interpret hesitation as a lack of confidence. These habits, while entirely understandable, communicate something deeper: that candor has a price.
When team members sense that dissent will be met with discomfort, even unconsciously, they protect themselves by staying quiet.
Related Reading: Turning an Issue Into a Solution
What Does Psychological Safety Look Like?
According to workplace research, teams that feel safe tend to generate more ideas, experiment more frequently, and engage in feedback loops that feel collaborative rather than fear-based. Team members raise concerns early, dissect problems without assigning blame, and learn from missteps rather than covering them up. In unsafe environments, the opposite happens: meetings end with everyone finding their closest friend on the team to debrief, or, as we like to call it, they have “the meeting after the meeting”.
Like many of the symptoms of a lack of psychological safety, the above scenario is surprisingly subtle and doesn’t seem like much of a red flag at first. That makes recognition difficult.
Patterns like recurring agreement without challenge, one or two voices dominating the conversation, or only discussing Issues outside the committee room are signs that people are protecting themselves rather than feeling safe in the IDS process. And leaders who watch meeting dynamics closely, who notice who speaks and who doesn’t, who interrupts and who holds back, are often the first to recognize these symptoms and understand that psychological safety is slipping.
This doesn’t mean you have to turn every conversation into a personal emotional workshop. It means you have to create a climate where candor, honesty, and expressed feelings are expected, not simply tolerated. And that starts with language.
The words leaders choose either invite openness or signal judgment. You can use simple phrases to expand space for perspective:
- “Help me understand what I’m missing here?”
- “What concerns do we need to surface before we move forward?”
- “I might be wrong, tell me what you see differently.”
Equally important is the role of check-ins. A well-held check-in isn’t a cursory round of “how are you,” but rather an invitation for people to arrive as humans first, before they’re asked to perform as employees. Check-ins signal that the room values honesty over polish and curiosity over certainty. When a team learns to start meetings this way, the Issues List quickly becomes a conduit for real work instead of a half-hearted list.
Ultimately, psychological safety is not a feel-good add-on. It’s the foundation that allows IDS to function as more than a process. Without safety, teams hide symptoms, politeness triumphs over candor, and the real issues wander. When teams operate from safety, they speak up earlier, dig deeper, and solve problems with honest accountability, because they are rooted in truth, not compliance.
A Simple Practice to Start Today
If you’re ready to put this into practice, start by saying out loud to yourself, “Psychological safety starts with me.” Then try to notice and observe in yourself how you feel as part of your team. Are there conversations or areas that make you clam up? What conversations do you feel comfortable digging deep into? Where do you go quiet?
After you understand your own psychological safety within the team, make a list of all the Issues that come to your mind: the recurring business problem that wakes you up in the middle of the night, the big ideas, the frustration you discussed with your spouse but not with the team, the dream project you haven’t yet verbalized, or the problem you’re waiting to solve hoping you’ll run out of time and it’ll be next quarter’s worry. Once you have your list, ask yourself how safe you feel discussing these Issues with your team (your FULL team, not just a single person). Why do you feel this way? What needs to change for you to feel safe sharing this?
Your goal is to get 50% of these items on your Issues List.
And remember, as a leader, you’re the trailblazer; make sure your team sees you setting the standard.
Go Deeper with the Issues Component
Psychological safety enables IDS to work as it was designed. Without it, teams circle symptoms. With it, they solve root causes.
If you’re committed to strengthening your team’s ability to Identify, Discuss, and Solve the real Issues openly, honestly, and effectively, the book Issues: Remove the Friction Blocking Your Greatness Through Mastery of IDS goes deeper into the discipline required to make IDS truly transformational.
Don’t just run the process. Master it. Order your copy of Issues today.
