We want to use our Level 10 Meeting™ to actively develop our middle managers into independent leaders who own their departments rather than followers who look to the leadership team for approval. How do we structure the delegation of the meeting facilitation and problem-solving to build this leader-leader ownership at the department level?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

To prepare your business for a clean exit, you must develop your middle managers into true leaders who can run operations independently. The departmental Level 10 Meeting is the perfect tool for building this capability.

Instead of the department head running the entire meeting, rotate the facilitator and scribe roles among the department team members. This rotation breaks the traditional leader-follower dynamic and forces every team member to take ownership of the meeting's success.

When facilitating, managers learn how to manage time, enforce accountability, and drive the IDS process. This hands-on experience builds their leadership confidence and operational discipline.

To support their development, the department head must step back and act as a coach rather than a director. During IDS, if a team member looks to the department head for a solution, the leader must decline to provide it immediately. Instead, ask: What do you recommend we do?

By encouraging team members to bring solutions rather than just problems, you foster a leader-leader culture. This operational maturity shows potential buyers that your business has a deep bench of capable leaders, significantly increasing your company's value.