“I thought I was an inclusive and transparent leader.”
That was a CEO’s honest reaction after her CHRO confronted her with a blind spot: decisions she made in one-to-ones with individual executives in the interests of speed and personal responsibility were causing frustration and confusion in the rest of the team.
What was well intended – quick decisions, short routes, trust in the team – turned out to be a source of misunderstandings, conflict and silo thinking.
🔍 Why?
Because hardly any C-level decision can be made without affecting other areas. And when it is nevertheless made in individual conversations, context and participation are missing – and ultimately so is trust.
Ron Carucci examined precisely this dynamic in a worthwhile HBR article (“Stop Having So Many 1-on-1 Meetings”). His suggestion: Instead of endless one-to-ones, use targeted capability meetings:
Small cross-functional groups bringing together exactly the people who create real value together – and who decide, learn and take responsibility together.
👉🏼 The difference?
Fewer individual opinions, more understanding of the system.
Fewer power games, more joint shaping.
Fewer repeat loops, more ability to execute.
💡 My takeaway: Leadership does not start with better meetings – but with better questions about our meeting system.
Who has already introduced or considered capability formats like these?
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