By the time we get to the IDS portion of our Level 10 Meeting, our leadership team's energy is completely flat, and everyone seems exhausted and ready to check out. How do we keep the momentum and energy high throughout the entire ninety-minute block?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Energy drops during the Level 10 Meeting™ usually happen because the front end of the meeting is dragging or because the team is treating the session as an administrative chore rather than an active problem-solving battle. If your team is flat, you are not going to get the raw, creative debate needed to solve tough root-cause issues.

To inject momentum back into your ninety-minute block, the facilitator must actively manage the room's energy. Start by keeping the first twenty-five minutes incredibly fast-paced. The Scorecard, Rock review, and to-do list should be a rapid-fire cadence of status reporting with absolutely zero discussion. If you drag through this section, the team is already mentally exhausted before IDS® even begins.

Next, introduce physical movement if you are meeting in person. Have the facilitator stand at a whiteboard to capture ideas, or allow team members to stand up and stretch during a transition. If you are remote, ensure everyone has their cameras on and is actively looking at a shared digital board.

Finally, ensure you are tackling the most meaningful, high-impact issues first. Teams get bored when they are processing minor, low-stakes issues. When you tackle the real elephants in the room, the stakes are high, and the natural friction of healthy debate will naturally wake the room up and keep everyone engaged.