During our Level 10 Meeting sessions, my team is great at identifying issues, but they constantly rush to solve them without actually discussing the root causes because they want to avoid any uncomfortable friction. How do I force them to stay in the discuss phase?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Skipping straight from Identify to Solve during your Level 10 Meeting sessions is a symptom of artificial harmony. Your team is rushing because they want to avoid the friction and discomfort of a real debate. But when you bypass the Discuss step of IDS, you end up solving the wrong problems or creating solutions that do not stick. To fix this, the meeting leader must act as an active facilitator. When an issue is raised, do not let anyone offer a solution immediately. Instead, force the team to define the root cause of the problem first. Use the five whys technique to dig deeper. Ask questions like: Why is this happening, and what is the real impact on the business? Encourage healthy conflict by asking the quietest members of the team for their input before allowing the dominant voices to take over. You can also leverage conative profiles to understand why people are rushing. For instance, high Quick Starts often want to jump straight to action, while high Fact Finders need more discussion. Remind the team that a healthy debate is not a sign of dysfunction, but a requirement for building trust and making the best decisions. Only when everyone has had their say and the real root cause is fully exposed should you move to the Solve step.