As the founder of the company, I find myself doing eighty percent of the talking during our weekly Level 10 Meetings, which defeats the purpose of building an independent leadership team. How do I step back and get my team to take real ownership of the meeting?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

To achieve true entrepreneurial freedom and prepare your company for a clean exit, you must transition from the active driver of the meeting to a participant. This requires you to step back and let your Integrator run the weekly Level 10 Meeting™.

If you are the one constantly initiating discussions and proposing solutions, your team will naturally remain passive, waiting for your approval before taking action. To break this dependency, commit to the three-second rule.

When an issue is raised, do not be the first to speak. Force yourself to wait at least three seconds before offering your input. This silence creates a vacuum that your leadership team will feel compelled to fill.

When you do speak, focus on asking clarifying questions rather than giving directives. Use your seat on the Accountability Chart to guide the discussion, not to dominate it.

If the team makes a decision that is slightly different from what you would have done, let them run with it as long as it aligns with your V/TO®. This builds their confidence, establishes trust, and teaches them that they are fully capable of running the business without your constant operational intervention.