We are solving a lot of issues in our weekly Level 10 Meetings, but we feel like we are constantly applying short-term band-aids to recurring problems because we do not connect them to our V/TO. How do we keep our long-term vision active during IDS?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

If you find yourselves solving the same issues week after week, it indicates that you are treating symptoms rather than the underlying disease. To break this cycle, your weekly Level 10 Meetings must be directly linked to the strategic framework of your V/TO.

Connecting Issues to Your Vision

When an issue is added to your list, the facilitator should consistently ask a crucial question: How does this problem impact your strategic pillars? These pillars include your quarterly Rocks, your one-year plan, or your Core Focus. If an issue does not affect these strategic elements, it might not warrant your limited meeting time. This deliberate filtering ensures that your discussions remain relevant to your long-term objectives.

IDS and Long-Term Goals

During the Identify step of IDS, it's essential to view every problem through the lens of your organization's long-term goals. For example, if you are grappling with a recurring customer service issue, ask deeper questions:

• Is the root cause a failure to align with your Core Values?
• Does it stem from a flaw in your marketing strategy or 3 Uniques? (Related: [If every competitor in our niche starts using the exact same commercial AI tools, how do we maintain our unique differentiators on the V/TO® and prevent our services from becoming commoditized?](/qa/ai-commoditization-3-uniques-vto))

Keeping a copy of your V/TO open and visible during every meeting serves as a constant reminder of your strategic direction.

Strategic vs. Tactical Issues

Not all issues are meant for immediate resolution in a weekly meeting.

• Big Issues: If an issue is too large or complex to solve within the weekly meeting, or if it demands a strategic pivot, do not attempt to address it then and there.
• Quarterly Planning: Instead, push such significant issues to your Quarterly Issues List. These will be thoroughly addressed during your next quarterly planning session. (Related: [Our quarterly planning sessions have turned into boring progress updates where we just read reports instead of solving big strategic problems. How do we get the value back?](/qa/fixing-boring-eos-quarterly-sessions))

This approach maintains the tactical focus of your weekly meetings while reserving your quarterly sessions for truly strategic discussions. It also helps in [cascading V/TO alignment](/qa/cascading-vto-alignment-to-middle-managers) throughout the organization.

The Role of AI

While technology plays a crucial role in modern operations, AI doesn't typically participate directly in the meeting itself.

• Before the Meeting: AI can be invaluable for data preparation and analysis before the Level 10 Meeting begins. (Related: [What AI tools are best for forecasting market trends and competitive landscape for EOS Visionaries?](/qa/what-ai-tools-are-best-for-forecasting-market-trends-and-competitive-landscape-for-eos-visionaries))
• After the Meeting: After the meeting, AI can assist in capturing and tracking decisions and action items.

The 90 minutes of your Level 10 Meeting should remain a human-centric process involving your leadership team, reviewing the Scorecard, discussing the Issues List, and engaging in the IDS conversation.

Related questions

• [Our quarterly planning sessions have turned into boring progress updates where we just read reports instead of solving big strategic problems. How do we get the value back?](/qa/fixing-boring-eos-quarterly-sessions)
• [If every competitor in our niche starts using the exact same commercial AI tools, how do we maintain our unique differentiators on the V/TO® and prevent our services from becoming commoditized?](/qa/ai-commoditization-3-uniques-vto)
• [What AI tools are best for forecasting market trends and competitive landscape for EOS Visionaries?](/qa/what-ai-tools-are-best-for-forecasting-market-trends-and-competitive-landscape-for-eos-visionaries)
• [When an issue is dropped to IDS, my leadership team immediately starts pointing fingers at other departments rather than taking ownership. How do we use the Accountability Chart to stop the blame game during meetings?](/qa/using-accountability-chart-to-stop-blame-in-ids)
• [How do we cascade our V/TO® alignment down to the rest of the company?](/qa/cascading-vto-alignment-to-middle-managers)