We have rolled out departmental Level 10 Meetings, but the managers we put in charge of running them lack the facilitation skills to keep them on track, and the sessions are turning into rambling status updates. How do we train these managers to lead with high-energy discipline without hand-holding them every week?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

The failure of departmental meetings usually points back to a lack of structured training and clear expectations. You cannot expect a frontline manager to naturally possess the command and discipline required to run a tight ninety-minute meeting without active mentorship. To bridge this gap, implement a structured shadowing and transition process. First, have the manager shadow the leadership team Level 10 Meeting to see what high-energy, disciplined facilitation looks like in practice. Next, the Integrator or a strong facilitator from the leadership team should co-facilitate the manager's first two departmental sessions. During these sessions, the co-facilitator is there to intervene the moment the meeting drifts into a status update or a long-winded discussion. After the meeting, provide immediate, direct feedback. Use the standard Level 10 Meeting agenda as a hard guide, and teach the manager to use the phrase, Let us drop that to the Issues List, whenever team members start to dive into problem-solving too early. Finally, ensure the manager understands that their role is not to have all the answers, but to maintain the meeting pulse and flow. Once they have run three sessions with a co-facilitator, step back and let them lead, but continue to audit their weekly meeting ratings. If their ratings consistently drop below an eight, it is time to step back in and coach them on specific facilitation bottlenecks.