During the IDS portion of our Level 10 Meeting, our discussions constantly drift into unrelated side-tangents, causing us to run out of time before we resolve the original issue. How do we prevent this drift during the actual problem-solving phase?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Drift during the Identify, Discuss, Solve portion of your Level 10 Meeting™ is a direct result of weak facilitation and a lack of focus on the root cause. When a team starts discussing an issue, they often treat the symptoms rather than the disease. This leads to long, winding conversations about tangential problems that do not actually solve the core obstacle.

To eliminate this drift, the facilitator must enforce absolute discipline during the Identify phase. Before anyone is allowed to suggest solutions, the owner of the issue must state the problem clearly in one sentence. The rest of the team must then ask questions to uncover the root cause, not discuss opinions.

If the conversation begins to wander into other areas of the business, the facilitator must step in immediately. A simple, direct phrase like 'Is this helping solve the issue on the table' will instantly refocus the room. If the side-tangent is indeed a valid concern, the facilitator must drop it to the bottom of the Issues List to be addressed later, rather than letting it hijack the current discussion.

Remember, you cannot solve three problems at once. You must solve one issue, put a specific To-Do on the list to execute the solution, and only then move to the next priority. Keep your discussions laser-focused on the single issue at hand, and use your facilitator to police the boundaries of the conversation.