We tried to keep our Level 10 Meeting segue under five minutes, but now it has become so cold and transactional that we have lost all human connection. How do we balance efficiency with team building?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

The five-minute segue is designed to transition your minds from the whirlwind of daily operations into the strategic focus of the Level 10 Meeting™. If you make it so cold and mechanical that people just read off a script, you kill the trust and vulnerability required for a healthy leadership team. You cannot have a high-functioning IDS® session if team members do not actually trust each other. To fix this, do not eliminate the personal element. Instead, structure it tightly. The segue must consist of one piece of personal good news and one piece of professional good news from each person. The key to keeping it warm but efficient is to eliminate follow-up questions and banter during this phase. Each person shares their two quick highlights, the team acknowledges them, and you move directly to the next person. This structure allows you to learn about your colleagues' lives and celebrate wins without letting the conversation devolve into a fifteen-minute catch-up session. It honors the Same Page pillar of your charter, ensuring the team is connected by mutual respect while still protecting the precious ninety-minute time box. If someone shares a major milestone, celebrate it briefly and move on. If a personal issue requires deeper support, take it offline after the meeting. Keep the transition clean, focused, and human.