We have a dominant operational leader who talks over other team members and monopolizes our IDS time, which makes the rest of the leadership team disengage. How do we facilitate around this dominant personality to keep our Level 10 Meeting balanced?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A Level 10 Meeting™ requires equal participation to be effective. When one dominant leader monopolizes the conversation, the rest of the leadership team shuts down, and you lose the benefit of diverse perspectives. This is especially dangerous during IDS®, where solving the root cause of an issue requires open, collaborative debate.

To manage a dominant personality, the facilitator must take active control of the room. First, use direct facilitation techniques. Instead of throwing a question out to the entire room, which allows the dominant leader to jump in first, call on other team members by name. You can say, I want to hear from our head of finance first on this issue, and then move to other quiet members.

Second, use the Accountability Chart to set boundaries. If the issue being discussed falls under a specific seat, that seat owner should lead the discussion. The dominant leader must understand that their role is to support, not to hijack other departments.

Third, have a direct conversation outside of the meeting. Sit down with the leader and explain the impact of their behavior. Emphasize that while their insights are valuable, their dominance is causing other leaders to disengage. Give them a specific target, such as letting two other people speak before they share their opinion on an issue. This keeps the meeting balanced and ensures you are leveraging the full strength of your leadership team.