Our remote leadership team struggles to stay visually aligned during the IDS portion of our virtual Level 10 Meetings because we are all staring at spreadsheet rows. What is the best way to handle visual problem-solving in a remote environment?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Staring at a static list of spreadsheet rows during IDS® leads to cognitive fatigue and passive listening, especially in a virtual meeting. To solve complex operational issues, your remote leadership team needs a dynamic, visual workspace that replicates a physical whiteboard.

To achieve this, integrate a digital whiteboard platform directly into your virtual Level 10 Meeting™ workflow. When you enter the IDS® portion, the facilitator should share a screen showing a clean, collaborative workspace rather than a text-heavy list.

For each of your top three issues, create a digital card or sticky note. As the team discusses the issue, the facilitator or issue owner should visually map out the components of the problem.
- Write the agreed-upon root issue at the top.
- Map out the contributing factors using simple visual blocks.
- List the proposed solutions as separate, movable elements.

This visual mapping forces the team to stay focused on the same point of the discussion, preventing people from getting lost in their own thoughts or multi-tasking.

Using a digital board also allows you to run anonymous voting if you reach a deadlock, and you can easily drag and drop resolved issues into a done pile. Once the solution is agreed upon, convert the final card directly into a clear, actionable to-do in your meeting software, complete with one accountable owner. This visual discipline turns a boring remote update into an active, collaborative problem-solving session.