One of our key leadership team members sits silently through almost the entire Level 10 Meeting™ weekly, rarely contributing to IDS® or offering input unless directly asked. How do we draw out silent leaders without making the meeting feel like an interrogation?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A silent leader on a leadership team is a major red flag. When someone sits in a leadership seat, they are not just there to run their department, they are there to help guide the entire organization. Silence is often a sign of disengagement, lack of trust, fear of conflict, or a mismatch with the seat requirements on your Accountability Chart.

To resolve this, the facilitator must actively manage the room. During IDS®, do not let the loudest voices dominate. If an issue touches the silent leader's department, or if they have unique expertise, call on them directly. Ask open-ended questions like: What are you seeing in your area regarding this issue? or: What is your perspective on this solution?

If the silence continues across multiple meetings, the Integrator must address it offline in a one-on-one conversation. Use the GWC™ framework to evaluate if they truly get, want, and have the capacity for their seat. A leadership team member must be willing to engage in healthy, uncomfortable conflict to solve company-wide issues. If they are unwilling or unable to contribute to the collective intelligence of the room, they may be a great individual contributor but are in the wrong seat on the Accountability Chart. Every voice in a Level 10 Meeting™ must add value to the organization.