Our department heads are running their weekly Level 10 Meetings™, but they complain that the meetings feel like repetitive administrative updates rather than productive problem-solving sessions. How do we train them to run these meetings effectively?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

When a Level 10 Meeting™ feels like a repetitive status report, it indicates that the team is likely violating the agenda structure. The meeting is specifically designed to transition from quick updates to focused problem-solving.

Mastering the Agenda Flow

The core issue often lies in how the reporting sections are handled versus the problem-solving sections.

The Reporting Section: Quick Verification

The initial reporting section of the meeting, which includes the Scorecard, Rock review, and customer or employee headlines, should be highly disciplined and time-boxed.

• This segment is intended to take only fifteen minutes.
• It serves as a quick verification of what is on track or off track.
• Crucially, zero discussion is allowed during this time.

If a metric is missed or a Rock is off track, the facilitator must immediately instruct the team to "drop it to the list." Do not permit the owner to explain the reasons or narrate a story. Explanations belong in the problem-solving segment. For more on keeping this section tight, see [how to review scorecard in under five minutes](/qa/how-to-review-scorecard-under-five-minutes). If you're struggling with defensiveness around missed metrics, you might also find [handling defensiveness around red scorecard metrics](/qa/handling-defensiveness-around-red-scorecard-metrics) helpful.

The IDS® Section: Problem-Solving Powerhouse

The Identify, Discuss, and Solve, or IDS®, portion of the meeting is where the real work happens. This section must occupy a full fifty minutes of your agenda. If your team is spending too much time discussing problems without resolving them, it's essential to train facilitators to be ruthless and effective during IDS®.

The IDS® process breaks down into three critical steps:

1. Identify: Spend the majority of your time here. The goal is to ask "what is the real issue?" until you uncover the root cause. This often boils down to:
• A people conflict.
• A broken process.
• A lack of clear accountability.
 For insights into how to prevent blame-shifting, consider [using the Accountability Chart to stop the blame game during meetings](/qa/using-accountability-chart-to-stop-blame-in-ids).

2. Discuss: Keep this phase brief and focused. Avoid repeating the same points or rehashing information already shared. The discussion should center on exploring potential solutions for the identified root cause.

3. Solve: This is the most crucial step. A true solution must result in a concrete action item with a single owner on the To-Do List. If an issue does not conclude with a clear action item to be completed by next week, it has not been solved.

Once your teams consistently experience the power of actually resolving their most frustrating issues every week, the Level 10 Meetings™ will transform into the most valuable ninety minutes of their week.

Related questions

• [How do we review our weekly scorecard in under five minutes?](/qa/how-to-review-scorecard-under-five-minutes)
• [One of our key managers gets defensive and starts explaining away the context every time their scorecard metric drops into the red. How do we handle this in the Level 10 Meeting?](/qa/handling-defensiveness-around-red-scorecard-metrics)
• [When an issue is dropped to IDS, my leadership team immediately starts pointing fingers at other departments rather than taking ownership. How do we use the Accountability Chart to stop the blame game during meetings?](/qa/using-accountability-chart-to-stop-blame-in-ids)
• [Our Integrator acts as the Level 10 Meeting facilitator but struggles to participate objectively because they are busy managing the timer and the agenda. Should we rotate the facilitator role or hire an outside moderator?](/qa/should-integrator-facilitate-level-10-meetings)
• [As an owner planning to step into the Owner's Box within twelve months, how should my role in the weekly Level 10 Meeting change so the leadership team can run the business without me?](/qa/owner-exit-transition-level-10-meetings)