The most important leadership meeting is often the one you’re not invited to.
The meeting ends.
Everyone nods. The decision is made. People leave the room. And then something interesting happens.
The conversation continues.
In the hallway. On Slack. In private messages. Over coffee.
That’s often where people say what they didn’t say in the room. Not necessarily because they are difficult or resistant. Sometimes because the room didn’t feel safe enough for disagreement. Sometimes because the decision had already been made. Sometimes because saying “I disagree” to the leader feels more costly than simply saying “I agree” and figuring things out later.
And this creates one of the most expensive illusions in leadership:
Agreement ≠ Alignment.
