We have a highly competent department head on our team who possesses deep operational knowledge but remains completely silent during our weekly Level 10 Meeting unless directly spoken to. They are not politicking or working against us offline, but we are missing out on their expertise during critical problem-solving. How do we get them to contribute?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A silent leader is often a sign of a mismatch between the individual's natural communication style and the fast-paced, sometimes aggressive nature of your team's IDS® discussions. Your job is to extract their value without forcing them to become someone they are not.

First, use the Accountability Chart and the GWC™ tool to confirm they belong in that seat. If they truly get it, want it, and have the capacity to do the job, their silence is a facilitation challenge, not a performance issue.

To solve this, the facilitator must actively pull them into the conversation. Do not wait for them to speak. When discussing an issue that touches their department or expertise, ask direct, open-ended questions. For example, ask them what specific risks they see with the proposed solution, or what their data tells them about the problem.

Second, give them time to process. Many analytical thinkers do not speak because they are processing the information. Send the short-term Issues List out ten minutes before the meeting starts so they can review it ahead of time.

Finally, set the expectation offline. Meet with them one-on-one and explain that their seat requires their voice. Let them know that their silence is actively holding the team back from making the best decisions, and agree on a simple cue you can use during the meeting to invite them into the dialogue.