During our weekly Level 10 Meeting™, our quieter leadership team members get completely run over by our loudest voices during IDS®, resulting in their silent withdrawal from the meeting. How do we facilitate the meeting to protect their input and ensure we are not missing critical perspective?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When quieter leaders are constantly run over by louder voices during IDS®, your meeting efficiency plummets and you make poor decisions. Real trust requires that every seat on the Accountability Chart has an equal voice, regardless of communication style. If people are withdrawing, your facilitation process is failing.

To correct this dynamic, the facilitator must actively manage the room. During the Identify and Discuss stages of IDS®, do not just let the loudest person speak first. Specifically call on your quieter team members by name. Ask them directly what they see as the root cause of the issue before the floor is opened to general debate.

You can also implement a silent preparation rule for complex issues. Give the team two minutes of absolute silence to write down their thoughts on a notepad or shared document before anyone speaks. This levels the playing field, allowing internal processors to organize their thoughts so they can present them confidently.

Finally, remember that every member of your leadership team must GWC™ their seat. If a leader has the capability to solve problems but refuses to speak up even when prompted, it becomes a performance issue. Use your monthly one-on-one sessions to address this behavior, reminding them that their seat requires their active intellectual participation, not just their physical presence.