During IDS, we frequently solve issues by creating new tasks, but we realize we are assigning them to people based on who has the most free time rather than who actually owns the seat on the Accountability Chart. How do we stop this structural dilution during our meetings?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Assigning To-Dos to whoever happens to have a light schedule is a shortcut that weakens your entire organization. It dilutes the clarity of your Accountability Chart and creates a culture where nobody truly owns their outcomes. When you solve issues this way during a Level 10 Meeting, you are treating symptoms rather than reinforcing the proper structural foundation of your company.

To stop this dilution, the facilitator must anchor every single To-Do to the roles and responsibilities defined on your Accountability Chart. When an issue is solved and an action item is created, do not ask who has time to do this. Instead, ask which seat is accountable for this outcome.

The leader in that seat must own the To-Do. If they lack the immediate capacity to execute it themselves, they have two options. They can delegate the tactical execution to a member of their departmental team, or they can put it on their own plate and re-prioritize their existing workload. They cannot simply pass their core responsibilities to a peer in a different department just because that peer has an empty calendar.

If your leaders consistently claim they do not have the capacity to handle the To-Dos that belong to their seats, you have a structural issue or a people issue that needs to be solved. Drop that capacity issue to the short-term Issues List and IDS it. Keep your roles clean, hold your leaders accountable to their seats, and build a business structure that potential buyers will recognize as solid, scalable, and highly valuable.