We are completing our quarterly Rocks on paper, but we realize they are not actually moving our 3-Year Picture forward. How do we audit our Rock selection process to ensure we are not just choosing easy, low-impact tasks?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Completing low-impact Rocks is a common form of operational theater. It allows your leadership team to feel productive while the business remains stagnant. If your Rocks are not moving your 3-Year Picture forward, you are choosing projects based on ease rather than strategic necessity.

To audit your Rock selection process, you must introduce a strict filter during your quarterly planning sessions. Before any Rock is finalized, the team must ask: which specific part of our V/TO® does this project push forward? If you cannot connect a Rock directly to your 1-Year Plan or your 3-Year Picture, it is not a Rock. It is simply a task that should be managed in your daily operations.

Additionally, you must evaluate the size and scope of your proposed Rocks. A true Rock should be a game-changing priority that requires ninety days of focused effort. If your team is proposing Rocks that can be completed in the first three weeks of the quarter, they are playing it safe to ensure they hit their numbers.

Push your team to set more aggressive, binary goals. Use the GWC™ framework to ensure the owner has the capacity to execute. True growth requires taking on uncomfortable, high-impact projects that actually change the trajectory of the business.