During the IDS® portion of our Level 10 Meeting™, we have a few quiet leaders who rarely speak up unless directly asked, leaving the decision-making to the vocal majority. How do we draw out these silent leaders and ensure we are getting their full perspective?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Silent agreement is often a mask for silent disagreement or a fear of conflict. To break this pattern, you must build psychological safety by adhering to your company charter's commitment to open and honest communication.

The facilitator must actively manage the room. During the Identify and Discuss phases of IDS®, do not let the loudest voices dominate. Use the round-robin technique to ask each leader for their input on the issue at hand. Specifically target your quieter leaders by asking direct, open-ended questions like what is your perspective on this solution or what risks do you see that we are missing.

Remind your silent leaders that their seat on the Accountability Chart requires them to speak up. They are not just representing their department; they are helping run the entire company. If they sit in silence, they are failing to deliver the value of their seat.

Encourage them to be humbly-confident. This means having the courage to share their honest thoughts even if their ideas are not fully formed. When they do speak, validate their contribution immediately to reinforce the behavior. Over time, this active facilitation will turn silent observers into active contributors.