Our team members consistently rate our Level 10 Meeting as an eight, but when we ask what would make it a ten, they say they do not know or that everything was fine. How do we break this perpetual eight loop and get actual actionable feedback to improve our meetings?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

A rating of eight is the ultimate cop out. It is high enough to avoid conflict and low enough to avoid having to justify a perfect score. When your team repeatedly gives an eight but offers zero feedback, they are treating the rating section as a compliance exercise rather than an optimization tool. To break this loop, you need to change the rules of the rating process. First, ban the number eight entirely for the next four meetings. Force your team to rate the meeting either a seven or a nine. A seven means the meeting was mediocre and needs improvement, while a nine means it was nearly perfect. This forces a psychological decision. If they choose seven, they must state at least one specific thing that dragged it down, such as agenda drift, poor preparation, or weak debate during IDS. If they choose nine, they must explain what went exceptionally well. Second, define what a true ten looks like for your organization. A ten means the meeting started and ended on time, all numbers were updated, the to do rate was above ninety percent, and we solved our most painful issues with open, honest conflict. If any of those criteria were missed, the meeting is physically not a ten, and it is likely not a nine either. Hold the team to this objective standard and refuse to accept empty ratings.