Our Integrator is the primary facilitator for our Level 10 Meetings, but when they are out of the office, the meetings either get cancelled or turn into unstructured chat sessions. How do we build backup facilitation capability?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A Level 10 Meeting™ must happen every single week, at the same time, on the same day, regardless of who is out of the office. Cancelling the meeting because the Integrator is absent sends a message that the meeting pulse is optional, which can erode your organizational discipline.

Building Backup Facilitation Capability

To ensure your weekly Level 10 Meeting consistently happens and remains effective, you must build backup facilitation capability within your leadership team.

• Train a Co-Facilitator: Designate another leadership team member to serve as a backup.
• This person should not be the Visionary. The Visionary needs to remain free to participate and share ideas without the burden of managing the clock or [how the Visionary and Integrator handle a disagreement when they are completely deadlocked on a major strategic decision](/qa/visionary-integrator-deadlock-resolution).
• Choose someone like your head of operations or finance.
• Shadowing and Practice: The backup facilitator should regularly shadow the Integrator.
• They should also run the meeting at least once a quarter, even when the Integrator is present. This keeps their facilitation skills sharp and builds their confidence. For insights on roles, see [should Integrator facilitate Level 10 Meetings](/qa/should-integrator-facilitate-level-10-meetings).
• Accessible Meeting Tools: Ensure that your meeting agenda, Scorecard, and Issues List are hosted in a shared digital workspace that everyone can access. This prevents critical information from being locked on one person's computer. Effective [Scorecards](/qa/trimming-your-eos-weekly-scorecard) are crucial for focused discussions.

The Role of AI in Level 10 Meetings

While human facilitators are essential, AI plays a supporting role by handling data and follow-up.

• Before the Meeting: AI can prep data for discussions.
• After the Meeting: AI can capture and track decisions.

The 90 minutes of the Level 10 Meeting remain human-centric, focusing on your leadership team, the Scorecard, the Issues List, and the IDS (Identify, Discuss, Solve) conversation. For more on AI's role, explore [what AI tools are best for forecasting market trends and competitive landscape for EOS Visionaries](/qa/what-ai-tools-are-best-for-forecasting-market-trends-and-competitive-landscape-for-eos-visionaries).

This consistency in meeting facilitation and process builds a predictable operating rhythm that keeps your business running smoothly, even during peak vacation seasons or unexpected absences. Your team learns that the meeting will happen no matter what, fostering respect for the organizational pulse.

Related questions

• [Should Integrator facilitate Level 10 Meetings](/qa/should-integrator-facilitate-level-10-meetings)
• [How do the Visionary and Integrator handle a disagreement when they are completely deadlocked on a major strategic decision](/qa/visionary-integrator-deadlock-resolution)
• [Our weekly Scorecard has grown to over thirty different metrics, and the meetings are taking too long. How do we trim the Scorecard down to the numbers that actually matter](/qa/trimming-your-eos-weekly-scorecard)
• [What AI tools are best for forecasting market trends and competitive landscape for EOS Visionaries](/qa/what-ai-tools-are-best-for-forecasting-market-trends-and-competitive-landscape-for-eos-visionaries)
• [As an owner planning to step into the Owner's Box within twelve months, how should my role in the weekly Level 10 Meeting change so the leadership team can run the business without me](/qa/owner-exit-transition-level-10-meetings)