Transform Your Leadership Team Communication with Fact-Based Observations

Stuck in Unproductive Conversations?

Imagine a small business leadership team meeting where things quickly go off the rails. The boss, frustrated with missed deadlines and unmet goals, starts the meeting by saying, “You’re not helping move the business forward.” One team member, feeling defensive, responds with, “That’s not true. We’ve been working hard on these Rocks.” Another silently disengages, thinking, “Why bother speaking up? I’ll just get blamed too.”

This type of scenario isn’t uncommon. Poor communication—rooted in subjective evaluations—often creates defensiveness, stalls problem-solving, and damages trust. Small business leadership teams running on EOS frequently find themselves in similar cycles. Whether it’s unproductive conflict or disengaged silence, both stem from unclear communication. If left unaddressed, these patterns can derail team health, slow execution, and prevent businesses from achieving their Vision Traction Organizer (VTO) goals.

At The Beacon Partners, we’ve seen firsthand how shifting from subjective evaluations to fact-based observations transforms communication, strengthens team trust, and fosters productive dialogue. As J. Krishnamurti noted, “Observing without evaluating is the highest form of human intelligence.” In this article, you’ll learn:

• The key difference between subjective evaluations and fact-based observations.
• How to reframe communication to reduce assumptions and defensiveness.
• Practical EOS-specific applications, including insights from The Speed of Trust and The Five Dysfunctions of a Team.

Why Evaluations Undermine Trust

Subjective evaluations are dangerous because they lack clarity and consistency. What one person defines as accountability or preparation may differ entirely from another’s perspective, leading to misalignment and frustration. Without a shared understanding of expectations, communication becomes vague, emotional, and unproductive. When leaders rely on subjective language rather than clear, fact-based observations, it increases the likelihood of misunderstandings, defensiveness, and conflict.

Consider these common examples of subjective evaluations:

1. “You’re not helping move the business forward.”
2. “You don’t hold your team accountable.”
3. “Your team isn’t committed to helping the business succeed.”
4. “You don’t respect the leadership team.”

These kinds of statements create confusion and erode trust. According to The Speed of Trust, unclear communication imposes a “spin tax,” diminishing collaboration and morale. Similarly, Patrick Lencioni emphasizes in The Five Dysfunctions of a Team that when leaders avoid clear, fact-driven dialogue, it often leads to ambiguity, political maneuvering, and a lack of real accountability.

How Fact-Based Observations Set the Stage for Productive Conflict

Shifting from subjective evaluations to fact-based observations not only reduces defensiveness but also lays the groundwork for ideological conflict—the productive debate of ideas. Healthy teams need ideological conflict to surface diverse ideas, challenge assumptions, and reach better decisions. When conversations start with clear facts rather than ambiguous opinions, teams can focus on solving real issues instead of debating vague interpretations.

Here’s how you can reframe the subjective evaluations from above into clear, fact-based observations:

Reframing Evaluations into Observations

1. Evaluation: “You’re not helping move the business forward.”
   Observation: “In the last two quarters, three of your assigned company Rocks were incomplete.”
2. Evaluation: “You don’t hold your team accountable.”
   Observation: “Your department didn’t hit its quarterly metrics for the last two quarters, yet all eight of your employees were marked as right people in the right seats.”
3. Evaluation: “Your team isn’t committed to helping the business succeed.”
   Observation: “Over the past month, we’ve missed three of our weekly scorecard targets without a clear plan to address the gaps.”
4. Evaluation: “You don’t respect the leadership team.”
   Observation: “In the last Level 10 meeting, you didn’t have your Rocks or to-dos updated, didn’t contribute any headlines, and arrived five minutes after the agreed-upon start time.”

By anchoring your communication in facts, you eliminate ambiguity and help the other person understand exactly what behavior or outcome needs to improve. This approach reduces defensiveness and creates a platform for productive conversations and joint problem-solving.

Real-World Applications in EOS

When we strengthen our operating system and fully commit to the six key components of EOS, we create an environment where clear expectations are the foundation for effective communication. With well-defined expectations, fact-based observations become easier to identify and share.

EOS provides several tools that help establish these expectations:

• SMART Rocks and Milestones: Clearly defined quarterly priorities make it easy to see whether Rocks are on track or off track.
• To-Dos: Weekly tasks tied to team goals provide a concrete basis for accountability discussions.
• Core Values and Core Behaviors: Documented values create a shared standard, making it easier to observe whether actions align with company culture.
• Scorecards: Measurable weekly metrics shift conversations from subjective opinions to objective facts.
• Processes: Documented processes clarify workflows, ensuring consistency and easier identification of deviations.

By strengthening these components, teams can reduce ambiguity and subjective evaluations, enabling faster issue resolution, greater accountability, and better results.

Why This Shift Matters

Shifting from evaluations to observations is more than a communication tweak—it’s a cultural transformation. Leaders who adopt this approach:

• Build stronger trust within their teams.
• Encourage open, productive conflict by focusing on ideas rather than personalities.
• Foster alignment around shared goals by grounding discussions in facts.

Don’t Worry…Expressing Your Concerns Comes Next

Withholding evaluations at the start of a conversation doesn’t mean ignoring emotions or avoiding important concerns. Once the conversation is grounded in clear, fact-based observations, there will still be an opportunity to express emotions, articulate concerns, and make requests. This approach ensures that emotions are shared in a way that encourages understanding and promotes productive problem-solving, rather than escalating conflict or triggering defensiveness.

To illustrate, here’s how the full process might look:

Observation:
“In the last two quarters, three of your assigned Company Rocks were incomplete.”

Feeling and Need:
“I feel concerned because I need to see you make progress and demonstrate effectiveness on these important initiatives to ensure we stay on track with our 1-Year Plan.”

Request:
“Could we work together to create a more detailed plan for tracking progress and addressing issues earlier?”

By starting with fact-based observations and following up with emotions and requests, leaders can create a constructive communication process that fosters trust, encourages accountability, and drives real solutions. This balanced approach helps leadership teams align more effectively and maintain healthy team dynamics.

Next Steps for Your Team

Here are three practical actions your leadership team can start today:

1. Identify one evaluation you frequently use and practice reframing it into a fact-based observation.
2. Encourage ideological conflict by reframing off-track discussions around objective facts 
3. Use tools like SMART Rocks with Milestones, To-Dos, and Scorecards to turn facts into actionable insights.

When you replace assumptions with clarity and respect, you’ll pave the way for clearer communication, stronger trust, and better results.