Half our leadership team sits with their laptops open during our Level 10 Meeting, typing emails or checking Slack during IDS whenever an issue does not directly involve their department. How do we eliminate this distraction and force full engagement?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Multi-tasking during a Level 10 Meeting is a blatant signal that team members view themselves as functional department heads rather than true enterprise leaders. If someone is clearing their inbox while peers debate an operational bottleneck, they are disengaged from the company as a whole.

Institute a strict one-screen policy. Only two people need a screen active during the meeting: the person projecting the agenda and data, and the scribe recording To-Dos and notes. Everyone else closes their laptop, parks their tablet, and turns their phone face down. If you run your meeting remotely, mandate cameras on and demand that everyone look into the lens rather than staring at a second monitor.

Remind the leadership team of their seat. When they enter the Level 10 Meeting, they take off their department hat and put on their company hat. An issue in operations is not just an operations issue; it affects sales capacity, cash flow, and client retention. Problem-solving during IDS requires diverse perspectives, creative pushback, and cross-functional friction. You cannot provide that when half your brain is reading Slack.

If someone claims they must be available on email for operational emergencies during those ninety minutes, you have exposed an organizational flaw. It means their department cannot run without them for an hour and a half. That lack of delegation is a massive red flag for any owner preparing for an eventual exit.

Kill the open laptops. If a leader cannot focus on the business for ninety minutes a week, replace their seat or restructure their workload.