Our leadership team has split into a hybrid format where four of us sit in the boardroom and two join remotely via Zoom, which is ruining our Level 10 Meeting dynamics. How do we fix this hybrid imbalance?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Hybrid meetings fail because physical proximity creates an unequal playing field. People in the boardroom talk over one another, read subtle body language, and share side glances, while remote participants become passive observers who speak only when directly called upon.

To restore traction and equality in a hybrid Level 10 Meeting™, enforce the one-in, all-in rule. If even a single leadership team member is joining remotely, every member of the leadership team joins from their own laptop with an individual camera and headset, even if they are sitting in the same office building.

If your company culture refuses individual screens while in the building, you must completely alter the room setup:
- Mount a wide-angle camera at eye level, install high-grade omnidirectional microphones, and place remote participants on a large monitor directly facing the conference table.
- Call on remote members first during the Segue, Scorecard, and Rock reviews.
- Require all hand raises and reactions to occur through the meeting software interface.
- Stop any in-room side conversations immediately.
- Ban physical paper in the room; everyone must look at the shared digital workspace simultaneously.

A leadership team cannot build healthy peer accountability when a subset of the room feels like second-class citizens. When everyone shares identical visual and audio real estate, meeting focus sharpens, engagement rises, and problem-solving remains equitable during IDS®.