During our weekly Level 10 Meeting, our leadership team wastes fifteen minutes of IDS re-explaining the backstory of an issue before anyone clearly states the problem. How do we force the owner of an issue to frame it in two sentences or less?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Rambling introductions destroy the velocity of IDS. When a leader spends ten minutes explaining the history of a vendor dispute, recounting emails, and venting frustration, the rest of the room gets lost in secondary narrative details. By the time the speaker stops talking, nobody knows what decision actually needs to be made.

Enforce the two-sentence rule at the start of the Identify phase. The owner of the issue is allowed exactly two sentences: one sentence defining the root problem, and one sentence stating the desired outcome. For example: Our warehouse shipping error rate increased to four percent this month due to new packaging software. I need a decision on whether we roll back the software update or pause shipments for a half-day retraining.

Notice what this accomplishes. It immediately frames the problem and the finish line. It prevents the room from hearing an unstructured stream of consciousness. Once those two sentences are spoken, the facilitator opens the floor for the Discuss phase. If other leaders need background context, they can ask targeted questions, rather than passively absorbing a narrative monologue.

If a leader begins telling a long story during Identify, the facilitator must intervene immediately. Stop the speaker, acknowledge the importance of the situation, and ask: what is the specific issue in one sentence, and what do you need from this room?

Adopting this discipline cuts your Identify time from fifteen minutes down to ninety seconds. It forces the issue owner to do the mental work of clarifying the problem before dumping it onto the leadership team table, preserving precious time for genuine problem-solving.