Our departmental Level 10 Meetings™ are running, but we suspect the department heads are solving issues that actually violate our global V/TO® strategy because they are not escalating the right items. How do we audit these departmental meetings without micromanaging them?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

To ensure alignment across all departmental pulses without smothering your managers, you must rely on your Accountability Chart and a clear escalation framework. When department heads solve issues in silos that conflict with your global V/TO® objectives, it points to a gap in your company Charter and trust.

Rather than attending every meeting or auditing their transcripts, use three specific checks. First, your Integrator must review the departmental Level 10 Meeting™ scorecards and short-term Issues Lists on a bi-weekly basis. Look for recurring issues that are resolved but keep popping back up. This is a sign they are treating symptoms, not solving the root causes.

Second, implement a clear escalation rule. If a departmental issue requires a budget change, impacts another department, or deviates from your core focus or V/TO® plan, it must be escalated to the leadership team list.

Third, use your quarterly state of the company meetings to reinforce the vision. If your department heads are deeply aligned on your marketing strategy, target market, and three-year picture, their local problem-solving will naturally align with the global plan. If they continue to make rogue decisions, you have a GWC™ issue with that department head, which must be addressed directly.