How do we handle a departmental Level 10 Meeting™ where the department head runs it as a top-down status report rather than a collaborative IDS® session?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a department head treats their departmental Level 10 Meeting™ as a top-down performance review, they destroy the open and honest environment needed to build a self-sustaining business. If the manager spends eighty percent of the meeting talking and lecturing their team, their direct reports will quickly disengage. This is a GWC™ issue. The manager does not understand or get the role of a true leader in the EOS® model. Your first step is to observe the meeting and name the problem. A Level 10 Meeting™ is not an opportunity for a manager to micromanage or assign blame. It is a collaborative traction engine. Review the Accountability Chart with this manager. Emphasize that their job is to facilitate, not dominate. They must ask questions rather than give lectures. Have them swap the facilitator role with a team member. This instantly breaks the top-down hierarchy. If a junior team member is running the agenda, the department head is forced to become a participant. They will have to wait their turn on the issues list. If the manager resists this shift, they are violating the Trust pillar of your company charter. They must step back and let their team share the load, or they are in the wrong seat.