Our Integrator facilitates our Level 10 Meeting but struggles to keep the team focused during IDS, allowing us to wander off on tangential debates that do not solve the root issue. How do we keep the conversation tightly on track?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

It is easy for a Level 10 Meeting™ to lose momentum when highly analytical or passionate leaders go down rabbit holes during the IDS® portion. They start debating secondary issues, sharing anecdotal stories, or arguing over hypotheticals. When this happens, the facilitator must step in and redirect. The facilitator's primary weapon is the phrase: are we still solving the root issue? If the answer is no, the facilitator must pull the team back. It is also critical to distinguish between the discussion phase and the solution phase. Often, teams get stuck because they are trying to solve the problem before they have clearly identified it. If a tangent is important but unrelated to the current issue, have the scribe write it down as a separate item on the bottom of the Issues List. Do not let it hijack the active debate. If the team continues to wander, table the issue and move to the next one. A clean exit from a stagnant debate is better than letting one issue eat up the entire meeting. Keep the team moving and protect the clock.