We are ready to roll the Level 10 Meeting™ down to our departmental managers, but we are terrified they will view it as another corporate mandate and let it fizzle out. How do we prepare our middle managers to run these meetings effectively on their own?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Rolling the Level 10 Meeting™ down to your departmental teams is critical for scaling, but it will fail if you simply hand them the agenda and expect them to run with it. Middle managers often view new meetings as a top-down administrative burden rather than a tool to help them win.

To ensure a successful rollout, begin by having your managers shadow your leadership team meetings for a few weeks. Let them see firsthand how efficient and productive a disciplined 90-minute meeting can be when run correctly.

Next, have your Integrator attend the first two or three departmental meetings as an observer. The Integrator's role is not to run the meeting, but to provide coaching after the meeting ends. They should help the department manager keep the reporting sections fast and teach them how to facilitate the IDS® section without letting the team spiral into endless complaining.

Make sure the department managers understand that the Level 10 Meeting™ belongs to them, not to the executive team. Frame the meeting as their shield, a dedicated block of time that prevents constant interruptions throughout the week. Once they realize that a structured meeting actually saves them time and gives them more autonomy, they will protect and run it with discipline.