During our Level 10 Meeting™ IDS® session, our more analytical, quiet leaders get completely run over by our expressive, fast-talking sales and marketing heads, meaning we make decisions without their critical, data-driven input. How do we structure the discussion so these quiet voices are systematically brought into the fold?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

To break the dynamic where expressive leaders dominate and quiet, analytical leaders remain silent during IDS®, your facilitator must actively manage the room. The goal is not to force public speaking but to extract their unique perspective.

Start by changing how you prioritize and tee up issues. When an issue is identified and clarified, do not immediately open the floor to the loudest voice. Instead, have the facilitator ask the quietest analytical leader on the team to speak first. Use a simple prompt like: We need your data-driven perspective on this. What does the baseline tell us? This forces them to share their analysis before the room gets filled with emotional opinions.

Another tactic is to use silent brainstorming before opening the discussion. Give everyone two minutes of complete silence to write down their top two thoughts or solutions on a notepad. Then, go around the table and have each person read their notes. This completely levels the playing field, as the analytical thinkers have time to process and formulate their thoughts without being cut off.

Finally, hold your expressive leaders accountable during the rating section at the end of the Level 10 Meeting™. If a quiet leader rates the meeting low because they felt run over, make that an issue for the next week. The Integrator must also have a one-on-one conversation with the dominant personalities, coaching them to ask questions and listen rather than constantly advocating for their own ideas. This builds a healthier, more balanced team dynamic.