Many leadership teams running Level 10 Meetings face the same challenge: their Issues List isn’t as meaningful or useful as it could be.
Too often, teams fall into the trap of “having no issues” (which is never true) and ending their meeting early because “there wasn’t anything to talk about.” Ironically, that’s an issue in itself.
Let’s review the five hidden thieves that keep real issues off the list—and ten powerful questions to help your team build a more open, honest, and useful Issues List.
Related Reading: The Power of the Issues List
The FIVE Issue Thieves
1. Trust
When a team lacks trust, people hold back. They don’t feel safe putting their real issues on the table, and the Issues List stays surface-level at best, or empty at worst. Without trust, team members filter what they share, opting to stay safe rather than say what needs to be said.
They might avoid calling out poor accountability, dance around tension, or stay silent about broken processes. When that happens, cracks in the business widen.
Trust means believing that everyone at the table has each other’s best interests at heart—and having the courage to say the hard things anyway. Building trust creates the kind of open, honest environment where real issues come to light and get solved for good.
2. Comparison
It’s often said that comparison is the thief of joy—but it’s also the thief of issues. Team members downplay their challenges, thinking, “Mine’s not as big as theirs,” or “That’s not worth bringing up right now.” But comparing issues silences valuable input and sends the message that only “big” problems matter.
The truth is that small frustrations often become big fires when ignored. Every team member brings a unique perspective to the business, and what seems small to one person might be a major issue to someone else.
Don’t let comparison keep important issues buried. If it’s a distraction, a recurring frustration, or a roadblock, add it to your Issues List—and let the Issues Solving Track do its work: Identify, Discuss, Solve (IDS). That’s how you move forward stronger, together.
Related Reading: Solving the Big Stuff: The Issues Solving Track
3. Fear
Fear takes many forms—fear of conflict, of looking weak, of being wrong or misunderstood. Whatever the reason, fear stops people from raising the issues that matter most. It might show up as sarcasm, deflection, over-preparedness, or silence.
Show your team that it’s okay to “Enter the Danger” — one of the 10 Commandments of Good Decision Making from Traction by Gino Wickman — by leading with vulnerability and modeling it yourself. Bring up issues that invite healthy debate or expose your own blind spots. When leaders go first, it sends a powerful message: this is a safe space to be real.
4. Acceptance
When teams accept things “as they are,” they stop challenging the status quo. The phrase “That’s how we’ve always done it” becomes the silent killer of progress. Complacency may feel comfortable, but it’s the enemy of growth. Over time, long-standing issues fade into background noise.
Acceptance becomes inertia. EOS is about helping teams break through ceilings. That means calling out what’s not working, even when it’s familiar or “good enough.”
A great IDS session starts by asking: “What are we tolerating that we shouldn’t be?” or “What’s no longer serving us?” When you challenge assumptions, you unlock progress.
5. Guilt
Some leaders hesitate to bring up issues because they “have it pretty good.” They feel guilty raising concerns when others have it worse, so real issues stay hidden. But guilt clouds perspective.
No matter how well things are going, there’s always a gap between where you are now and where you want to be. There’s no shame in closing that gap. Every company, every leader, has room to grow. Whether your team is thriving or barely surviving, issues are opportunities in disguise.
Reframe problems as opportunities. Own your challenges. Share your wins. Keep climbing.
Related Reading: Addressing Core Issues
10 Questions to Surface Hidden Issues
Use these questions to spark real conversation and pull out the issues hiding below the surface:
- What are we not talking about that we should be?
- What could make our jobs or our customers’ lives better, simpler, or more effective?
- What’s one obstacle that, if removed, would make a big impact?
- What might cause us to miss a Rock this quarter?
- Is there a decision we’re waiting on that’s holding us back?
- What’s not working as well as it should?
- What’s frustrating us right now?
- What’s slowing us down from hitting our numbers?
- Have we heard any negative customer or employee feedback?
- Are there any recurring patterns or issues we’ve noticed?
When your team gets comfortable naming the real issues—not just the easy ones—you unlock better discussions, stronger solutions, and faster progress.
So ask the hard questions. Build trust. And stop letting these five thieves rob your Issues List.
Explore the EOS Academy
Struggling to get issues on the table? There’s a tool for that. Wondering why your meetings still drag? We’ll show you how to tighten them up. Trying to align a team that’s pulling in different directions? Start here.
You don’t need another course, webinar, or leadership framework. You need answers that actually move the needle.
EOS Academy was designed for entrepreneurial leaders who want to solve real issues, not just discuss them. It’s a self-serve platform packed with proven EOS Tools, short lessons, and ready-to-use templates.
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