We have tried rotating the facilitator role for our weekly Level 10 Meeting™ to give different leaders practice, but it has completely ruined our meeting discipline and pace. Should we stick to a single designated facilitator or is there a better way to build this leadership skill?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Rotating the facilitator role during your weekly Level 10 Meeting is a common mistake that almost always degrades meeting quality. Facilitation is a specialized skill that requires objectivity, confidence, and a deep understanding of meeting dynamics. When you rotate the role, you lose consistency and discipline.

The best practice is to have a single designated facilitator, typically the Integrator. The Integrator is naturally positioned to drive the meeting pulse, maintain the clock, and hold the team accountable to the agenda. This consistency allows the team to develop a predictable rhythm and ensures that the rules are enforced the exact same way every week.

If you want to build facilitation skills in other leaders, do not use the leadership Level 10 Meeting as a training ground. Instead, have those leaders facilitate their own departmental Level 10 Meetings. This allows them to practice the skill in a lower-stakes environment where they can build their confidence and master the IDS process.

You can also have an aspiring facilitator run occasional ad-hoc meetings or process-mapping workshops. But for your weekly leadership pulse, stick to one designated facilitator who can maintain absolute structural discipline and keep the momentum high. This protects your ninety minutes and ensures you get the highest return on your meeting time.