Our leadership team is dominated by high D personalities on the DISC profile, resulting in meetings that feel like a battlefield where the loudest voice always wins. How do we rebalance our decision-making process so we do not run over the highly analytical, quieter members of the team?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a leadership team is dominated by high Dominance profiles, meetings quickly devolve into a struggle for control. The team focuses on status management rather than finding the best answers. The quiet, analytical members, often high Conscientiousness or Steadiness profiles, withdraw because they do not want to fight for airtime. This means you are missing critical details and risks.

To fix this, you must change the rules of engagement in your Level 10 Meeting™ sessions. Start by using your team's DISC and Kolbe A™ Index profiles to build collective awareness. Explicitly point out that the louder voices are dominating and that you are losing the valuable insights of the analytical team members.

Next, enforce a structured approach during the IDS® portion of your meeting. Do not let people shout over each other. Instead, have the facilitator call on team members individually, starting with the quieter, high Fact Finder or high Conscientiousness members. Give them the floor to lay out the data and logic before the high Dominance members are allowed to debate.

Furthermore, implement a rule of silence. When a major issue is raised, give everyone two minutes of silence to write down their thoughts on a notepad before anyone speaks. This levels the playing field for team members who need time to process information before sharing. By structuring your debates, you move from a battlefield of egos to an open environment of psychological safety and smart decision making.